Chaos Effect
by Mr. Chaos
Summary: What happens when a fanfic author with a habit of lying and scheming suddenly finds himself as a self insert during Duelist Kingdom? What happens when you have Yugi, Joey, Kaiba, and the rest encounter someone who knows all about every major player in their saga... and sees no problem with abusing said knowledge? Chaos, dear reader. Sweet, sweet chaos. SI-Fic with shifting POV.
1. A Michigander Walks Into a Card Shop

A rule of thumb for any of you out there who wake up to find yourself suddenly living in an anime: take stock before you panic.

First determine what anime you are in. This is the most important thing because quite frankly there are some anime where, no matter who you are or your role in it may be, you are screwed. I don't know about you but no amount of funny wires that let me run along buildings will make up for the world gone to hell and cannibal giants eating my loved ones (at least that's what I assume Attack on Titan is about, it might be about DC fans trying to get Teen Titans Go canceled for all I know). Now, maybe some of you really want to end up in one of those emo worlds where humanity is doomed and you know that half of the people you meet will be dead before it is done because you want to live out your Hunger Games fantasies... whatever floats your boat. Me? I openly admit I am lazy and would much rather have an easy time of it.

Now, if you are in an anime world that isn't one big giant ball of suck I then suggest determining if you are a main character or just one of those random bystanders that is in the background. It might sound all neat to be in the Dragon Ball universe until you realize that if you are a normal human your life is going to be a series of 'bland, bland, oh god why! hello there King Yemma nice desk, alive again, bland bland'. Rinse, repeat, cash the friggin' check. I know a lot of people who end up sucked into anime worlds end up with Stands or sailing with Luffy but that's only because everyone who DOESN'T hit the jackpot when it comes to entering a fictional world dies a painful death and doesn't get a chance to share their tale. Or at the very least it doesn't get good reviews.

Finally, check to see if you are yourself. Sometimes you get to keep your body, sometimes you end up as Ash Ketchem. Ketchum. Keechum? Whatever. My point is that matters too because it is going to make things both easier and harder. Yeah, real cool to suddenly be Tai leading the digidestined but then you realize that you lost all the muscle memory you used to have so your desire to punch that monkey radio host in the face is going to end VERY badly. Tai wasn't a runner is all I'm saying. I'm personally glad I was just younger when this all started for me.

But I'm getting slightly ahead of myself.

You need to think these things through before you panic. Because your "magical adventure" (this site needs a button to make clear one is being sarcastic) isn't going to be so awe-inspiring if you spend the entire time locked in a padded room while doctors decide if they should put the straight jacket on you before or after the enema.

Now, I can't claim that I followed these rules when I found myself sucked into my oh so wonderful odyssey. Yeah, I'd like to claim I was all aloof and shit because that would make me sound cool and a badass but I am going to be honest with you all because you guys deserve that... and frankly I figure laughing at me will get me more reviews.

(innocent smile)

When I first woke up I was VERY startled. My bedroom isn't huge by any means... a full size bed, dresser, tv stand, nightstand, that's about it. But it is certainly bigger than that rice cracker box I found myself in the first morning I woke up in that strange world. I visit my dad's place a lot so I am used to waking up in a room that isn't my normal bedroom but not in something that feels like a closet's bastard brother. My change in clothing didn't help either; gone was the old t-shirt (a 'If You Are Redneck' Shirt, if you must know) and silk pajama bottoms and in their place was a set of pajamas you'd see some rich guy wearing in a cartoon right before Bugs Bunny popped up in his bedroom wondering if he should have taken that last left at Albuquerque. You know the kind, the colored baby blue shirt with matching pants, a pair of heelless slippers sitting nearby? Sorry, I'm cheap, so never going to wear something like that... yet there I was, in just such an outfit.

Hearing cars going by I went to the window and opened to only to find that my view of the apartment building across the parking lot had been replaced by a Japanese city skyline that stretched for miles. Tall skyscrapers mixed with squat buildings, warehouses in the distance with small leafy parks dotting the landscape before me. I could see an intersection of commerce, traffic, and humanity just to my left, with electronic billboards advertising the latest gadgets from Industrial Illusions... and Kaiba Corp.

"Oh... shoot," I muttered to myself, it very quickly dawning on me that I had either finally cracked (a very good possibility) or ended up in the one thing I'd never wanted to be a part of: an Author Insert.

Turning around I began to pace, or at least pace as well as I could in that refrigerator box of a bedroom. I didn't know what to do with my hands, sometimes raising one up to swoop my bangs back, other times putting my left arm behind my back and clutching my right (oddly comfortable, I must say). It was only when I reached up to stroke my chin and found it bare that I realized it wasn't just my location that had changed. Ever since I had been 21 years old I had sported a full goatee at minimum; even when I shaved the thing off I always left at least a bit of stubble. But rather than feeling a thick beard or at minimum coarse stubble it was smooth skin that greeted my fingertips. It took me a moment to shake the confusion of THAT before I rushed to the mirror, snatching up my glasses and plunking them on my face before I stared at myself.

You ever wonder what you'd look like as a cartoon character? I have. Those 'Make yourself a (insert tv show)' games are my favorite. Ducktales, My Little Pony, Pokémon... I've done them all. But it is one thing to design it on a computer screen and another to find yourself staring at it in the mirror. My features were _almost_ the same. Round face. Blue-gray eyes. Blonde hair. Tall build. All the basics were there but there were little changes that made it... wrong. Utterly offputting. My chin was a bit more square. Eyes bigger and more intense, lacking the lines of gray that I normally saw in the irises. Skin flawless... not just missing blemishes but no moles or pores either. I had always had a mole below the corner of my right eye but that was gone, along with the ones on my forehead. Glancing at my arms showed that their moles and freckles were gone too. Pulling up my pant legs proved that in anime world I also had silky smooth legs to apparently save the artist time. That left me hairless save for the top of my head. And god, that was the biggest change as all. FAR longer than I would ever wear it and the dark blonde now had the streaks of red that normally only showed up in my beard now running along my hair like tiger stripes. I poked at my head, thankful at the very least that my hair was only at Kaiba levels and not Joey or, god forbid, Yugi.

"Fudge," I muttered myself before my face twisted in confusion. "Fudge. Fickle. Flipper." My nose crinkled as I snarled. "I can't swear. I can't floppin' swear. Gosh darn it those mother loving 4Kids copiers!" I gripped the dressed and shook it in frustration. "Oh this is going to be a fluffy time. Can't wait to have my rice ball-shaped donuts."

Grabbing my wallet off the small nightstand beside the bed I found my driver's license (international in this world, so at least I could use a car) and stared at my anime self's picture. My birthday was the same but a little math showed that I was only 22 years old in this world, meaning I'd lost nearly 13 years of my life. I still hailed from Michigan in the United States, though, and that gave me hope that my family might exist in some form in this weird world. The problem was the name I found typed on my id.

Edwin J. Chaos.

'So whoever sent me here decided to use my pen name,' I thought with a shake of my head. "No idea where Edwin came from. Don't think I ever established what Mr. Chaos' first name was.' I shut my eyes and sighed before I sang, "You are accepting this far too easily "Edwin"." Scoffing I decided I might as well explore this world I was stuck in and grabbed a t-shirt and some jeans, because damn it I was not walking around an anime world filled with ghost pharaohs and snake-dicked demons in my Uncle Scrooge pajamas.

As I pulled out my socks I grabbed my cellpone, only mildly surprised that it was here, and turning it on I saw that I thankfully had my normal apps. If I was going to be stuck in this world at least I could listen to music.

Once dressed I took a breath, braced myself, and left the room.

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

Kipling Chaos, an older man in his early 50s with graying hair that he tied back in a ponytail, warm brown eyes, and a round open face, looked up from his paper, shifting his wheelchair so that he could better see around the corner. "Ah, nephew, so good of you to join me for breakfast."

"Hello uncle, that wasn't a clunky sentence at all," Edwin said, one side of his mouth quirking up as he walked over to the small open kitchen and pulled out a bowl and dumped some Frosted Mini Wheats into it. "What do we have planned for today? Adventure? Romance? Egyptian pharaohs?"

"Nothing quite like the latter but perhaps some of the former," Kipling said, turning his wheelchair so that his right leg, which was in a heavy white cast that left it sticking straight out in front of him, was tucked once more under the table. Edwin had by this point poured himself a glass of orange juice before sitting down to join him, eating his cereal dry and with his bare hands. "You have horrible table manners."

"And a garbage palette, I'm told," Edwin said cheekily. "So, what's up?"

"I know you have been bored since you got here," Kipling said with a smile, watching his nephew ear. "I was the one who encouraged you to take a year off after graduating from college and come stay with me and work at my TV station, Chaos Communications. Promised you all the sights and wonders of Domino… and then the day before you arrive I trip on a candy bar wrapper and shatter my leg." He patted his cast.

"Yeah, about that… how do you break your leg stepping on a candy bar wrapper?"

"Ha! You are never going to let me live that down! Still-"

"No seriously-"

"-you've done a good job for me so far at the station. I know you were hoping for more reporting and less paperwork but you've been a godsend. Got the file room cleaned up, actually gave us some organization. It's appreciated, it truly is."

Edwin smiled at that. "No problem. You're welcome."

"I very much am. I've been thinking of how I could reward you and I think I know a way. Tell me… have you heard of Duel Monsters?"

"Card game, right?" the younger man said, popping another bit of cereal in his mouth.

"Exactly. I know it isn't that popular in America yet but here in Japan it has gone from a casual game to a cultural phenomenon! Everyone seems to be playing it nowadays."

"Really? I guess if Football can become a national pastime...suppose II should look into it then, if I'll be staying here a while."

Kipling grinned and grabbed a large box that had been sitting just near his own cereal bowl. "Oh, you'll be involved with it far sooner than you think. You see, Edwin, I play the game myself. Began about two years ago after doing a small puff piece on it when the reporter who was supposed to cover it caught the flu, but when it really took off last year I began getting more and more into it. Utterly addictive. Won a few tournaments, made a bit of a name for myself. I haven't been able to compete for the last few months though as I was getting ready for your visit."

"I'm sorry," Edwin said genuinely.

"No need to feel bad-"

"But I do," he retorted quickly. "You loved it and I prevented you from playing. I'm sorry."

"You are more important than any game. You are my brother's son, Edwin. You're family. That means so much more than… anything in this world." 

"I know," Edwin whispered. "I know."

Kipling smiled at that before opening the box. "Now, I might have been out of the game, no pun intended, for the last few months but that doesn't mean everyone forgot about me. I got this in yesterday but only just now had a chance to look inside of it. Seems Industrial Illusions, the company that makes Duel Monsters, is holding some special tournament."

Edwin clearly perked up at that and Kipling smiled, knowing that his nephew, even though he'd only just HEARD about the game, was already hooked. The way he leaned forward, the intense look in his eyes, his entire focus on his uncle… oh yes, Edwin was being drawn in. It made Kipling smile that he had something to share with his nephew.

"And I do mean special. Maximillian Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, is inviting all sorts of big names in the game to come to his island for a one of a kind tournament. He is calling it…" He paused, knowing that the tournament demanded a bit of the dramatic, "Duelist Kingdom."

"Lofty title."

"Even loftier prizes. The title of King of Games and $3 million dollars for the winner." Edwin let out a whistle, or as close as he could to one as he always seemed to have his peter out. "My thoughts exactly." He began to lay out the odd assortment of cards that had arrived in the box. One had a picture of a ship (a very nice looking yacht displayed on it), another an island, a third a red glove that matched the actual one the box contained. Then there were two more cards, one with a pile of riches, the other a blank card with no writing on it. Edwin was especially interested in that one, staring at it for several moments before setting it down and picking up two metallic stars, no bigger than an American nickel each. Finally there was a thick rule book that looked more like a pocket dictionary, though with a leather cover and the embossed logo of Industrial Illusions. "Personally I think Pegasus picked me out mainly because he wants the good press."

"Short notice," Edwin said, scanning the letter. "We got this last night and it says the boat takes off tomorrow evening. Not sure how many people will be able to attend. Certainly not anyone who isn't in Japan already."

"My thought exactly."

Edwin rubbed his chin. "So either Pegasus didn't plan real well when it came to setting this tournament up," his lips twisted into a frown and he looked over the top of his glasses at Kipling, "or Pegasus is up to something and doesn't have time to wait."

Kipling nodded in agreement. "I considered the same thing. That's why I want to see what is going on at that island."

"So what? We going and I push you around?" Edwin asked.

Kipling waved him off with a laugh. "No. The tournament, according to this letter, will mostly take place outside. My wheelchair isn't built for rough terrain. No, I want you to go in my place."

"That sounds about right," he jested, Kipling not getting what he was hinting at. "Call to adventure, hero's journey… think I'll skip the denying the call bit and go right to accepting." He rubbed his chin again, frowning a bit though Kipling didn't know quite why. "Guess I need to buy some cards…"

Understanding his nephew's concerns Kipling wheeled away from the table and went over to his desk, pulling at a cord that hung around his neck which had a key dangling from it. Unlocking the top drawer Kipling reached inside and pulled out a small box before rolling back to his nephew. "No, you won't." He placed the key and the box in Edwin's hands. "This is my deck. Take it."

"You sure?" Edwin asked, staring down at the case. "I mean-"

"I can't use it… but I can give it to someone I trust. Go to the island, have your adventure. At worst you'll be able to write up a great story, even if there isn't anything shady going on. Pegasus isn't allowing cameras on the island but you can take notes and report about it after the fact. Especially if there truly is a King of Games crowned!" He grinned and clapped his hand on Edwin's shoulder. "And who knows… it might be you!"

"Maybe," Edwin said, thumbing through the cards. "I do know at the very least that with this deck… this amazing, powerful deck… I have a shot."

~MC~MC~MC~

The deck sucked.

I sat on my bed going through the cards and shook my head as I looked at one terrible card after another. "Even with Duelist Kingdom rules this thing blows." I pulled out one card and made a face of sheer befuddlement. "You think I'm going to win with Sparks. Seriously?" I tossed that card on the bed and growled. "I am so flapping screwed."

I stood up and paced, fingers digging into my hair and scratching hard at my scalp, the need to feel a bit of pain to keep my centered flooding through my nerves. I had figured that somehow I'd end up at Duelist Kingdom, as the only other option would have been to start in Season Zero and if that was the case I had planned to lay low until the Pharaoh was no longer so… murder happy. Getting a personal invite meant I got to cut out the middle man when it came to getting onto the island. And from the altered ship card my uncle (whose name I didn't even know because he didn't look like my Uncle Ken nor was he as much of an ass as him) had given me I had a feeling that I would be getting a decent room and wouldn't have to deal with a bunch of kids spending all night gabbing. I could be a night owl when it called for it but I preferred to get at least 8 hours of sleep and from what I remembered from the show the sun rose just as Duelist Kingdom was spotted. I had gotten the information Weevil did about field zones but that didn't matter because I already knew about that even without the rule book… and the hunters or whatever they were called that Pegasus was going to send out to try and take players out.

"Not going to win the tournament," I muttered to myself. "Wait, no… I COULD win the tournament but I can't. Yugi has to win. Not unless I want to really screw with canon and leave the world doomed to Zorc." I paused, mentally wondering if I took the damn puzzle and just… incased it in concrete and dumped it in the ocean would that solve all our problems. Probably not… the Millenium Ring had the odd ability to always return to Bakura and I was willing to bet that while we had never seen it the puzzle would return to Yugi even if I shoved it on that rocket Jaden put the Neos drawing on. "So Yugi has to win the whole thing. But that doesn't mean I have to go out like a buttercup…" I shuddered in frustration. "I am going to find those Viva Pinata making bluechips and shove my foot up their atolls!"

Staring out the window I began to think things through, puzzling out the tournament and how it had worked. 'There are four finalists that move on from the main battles on the island… except what about Kaiba? I mean he demanded to face Pegasus and got that but why didn't Pegasus make him battle everyone else? Because there were only five people? No, that makes no sense, that isn't like Pegasus. He loves mindgames and screwing with people. Force Joey and Kaiba to battle each other, knowing that each one was fighting for a loved one… sick son of a bitch would get off on that. He made Kaiba get those Star Chips to get into the castle in the first place, why not make him go the entire way and compete in the mini tournament?'

I walked back to my bed where all the information Pegasus had sent my uncle was spread out and picked up the thick rule book describing the set up of the tournament, filling through it till, after almost 10 minutes, I found what I was looking for. '_Duelists will face each other across the island… 10 Star Chips to enter the castle… _wait a minute… _the first person to officially enter the castle's tournament hall will received The Right of Challenge. They may then claim both prizes. The next four arrivals will compete to determine who will receive the second Right of Challenge. Should both challengers defeat Mr. Pegasus there will be a final face off…_ shit, that's how that happened. Kaiba could have claimed the money the entire time. But Pegasus didn't tell him… and I bet Yugi and everyone else never bothered to read this! Bandit Keith clearly didn't because he just hung around and didn't enter the castle's main tournament hall! Neither did Mai or Joey or Yugi! And even if Kaiba could have he wouldn't have taken it! Jeez. Pegasus was probably laughing his pink-suited ass off that no one knew how important it was to get in first!'

Setting the letter down I began to pace again. "Okay, so there are technically five spots… but there isn't a limit that I remember for guests. Tristan, Tea, and Bakura were able to watch and they didn't even compete. Most people just didn't make it in time to claim a spot!" I went over to the small dresser next to the bed and pulled out a piece of paper and began to do the math. "Of the five people to enter three of them started with two Star Chips. So two had to get ten total and three had to get eight. That means there were 44 Star Chips in the castle that had to be won. Divide by two means 22 other duelists were completely wiped out in order for them to make it." I frowned and shut my eyes, trying to visual the crowd that had been around Yugi when he'd first arrived on the boat. I didn't know if the Hunters or whatever the Paradox Brothers, PaniK, or that creepy clown guy were called had been given star chips of their own… probably they had been given some or else there would be nothing won facing them. I knew that people in this world, from the casual player to the biggest of Big Bads, seemed honor bound to accept any challenge but could one run if challenged by a Hunter? Wouldn't it make it easier to get people to take them on by offering to double their winnings? Still, I decided not to include them in my math. I was pretty sure there were more than 22 other duelists in Duelist Kingdom which meant that if I played it right I could get ten Star Chips of my own and make it into the castle to at least watch the matches without needing to befriend one of the finalists and getting invited in.

I stared down at the monster card Dark Gray and scowled.

"But not with this slippy deck." Deciding that I needed to add stopping at a few card shops in order to try and augment the deck (on my uncle's dime, as he had already handed me his credit card to spend on supplies) I began to pick up the cards only to pause when I noticed a couple I had missed in the very bottom of the box my uncle had given me, having been preoccupied with the garbage. "Crusader of Endymion. Breaker the Magical Warrior. Defender the Magical Warrior…" I stopped as I came to the final card. "Endymion, The Master Magician. Hmmm… the first effect won't work because I don't have the field spell. Not that it matters, because thanks to Duelist Kingdom rules I can just summon him right off the bat. Second effect is also out. But being able to discard a spell card to destroy any card of the field?" I felt a wicked grin form on my lips. Duelist Kingdom was known for very few cards that could destroy spells and traps. Heck, Toon World had given Yugi and Kaiba a massive headache, with the later never even figuring out how to deal with it. But with Endymion, even without his other effects, I had something that would give me a MASSIVE edge even with the other shit in my uncle's deck. Letting out a little laugh and reached into the box and plucked out the card-

A thrum ran up my air and into my very soul.

I dropped the card and panted, my arm having jerked back while my other hand dropped the box onto the bed. I stared at Endymion, the card just lying there. No sparks of magic, no otherworldly cries or calls. Just… a card. Swallowing I reached out and touched it again.

THRUM!

This time I didn't jolt back. Instead I forced myself to stay still, to not shiver and shake. I carefully lifted the card up, the energy that seemed to be rushing through my body slowly becoming nothing more than a warm feeling, like a bowl of soup after being out in a cold day. It swirled in me, curled up and nestled in my chest, and I felt confidence and strength the likes of which I had never felt before.

Every duelist had a signature card. Yugi and the Dark Magician. Kaiba and the Blue Eyes. Joey and his Red-Eyes. Jaden and Neos. Zane and the Cyber Dragon. Yusei and the Stardust Dragon. On and on. Heroes, villains… the ones that truly matters had one card that they fell back on again and again.

"You aren't my uncle's anymore, are you?" I whispered to the card. "You're mine."

The energy in my chest roared in agreement.

The Heart of the Cards.

Damn.

~MC~MC~MC~

Mai Valentine looked over the selection of tents carefully, stroking her cheek with one long elegant finger. "Decisions, decisions."

"This one is smaller but has a higher waterproof rating, Miss Valentine," a teen with a squeaky voice and a jittery way about him, managed to get out. It was a wonder he could even talk to her, the way he was becoming tongue-tied just staring at her. "It's certified to survive winds up to 50 kilometers per hour and handle a downpour of over an inch per hour."

"That would come in handy…" Mai said to herself. "I am going to be out on some wooded island and if I have to rough it I'd prefer to be as comfortable as I can be." The clerk opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand. "Give me a moment to think."

"O-of course!" the clerk stammered just as the bell over the door chimed and he turned to greet the new arrival. "Hello there, how might I help you?"

"Hi," a man said pleasantly. "Going on a trip and going to need some supplies for at least two days. Tent, sleeping bag, a camp stove. Do you have any solar lights that I can hang? Oh, and solar batteries too. With an adapter?"

"Yes sir, we have all of that. The lights are over there and we keep the solar batteries in the back. I can get them for you…"

"Thanks. I'll look around. Appreciated." The clerk scurried off and the new arrival moved to stand next to Mai. She glanced at him and the main thing that she noticed was how tall he was. She was used to towering over most men as it seemed like Duel Monsters tended to attract shorties. Rex Raptor, Weevil Underwood, just to name a few. Scrawny runts who spent all their time looking up at her boobs rather than her face. But the new arrival actually forced her to glance up. A bit of a slub in her opinion, as he was dressed in jeans, a gray hoodie, and a dark blue baseball cap with a stylized D on it, but no slob. Just casual. A suit would do marvels on him. "Any suggestions?" he asked.

"The clerk was saying that one is rated for hurricanes."

The man grimaced. "I could afford a car to drive away from the hurricane with how much that thing costs."

"Better to be protected," Mai said.

The newcomer scoffed. "I checked the weather… going to be dry as a bone where I am going. Just a bit cold at night. I'd rather save my money."

"And just where are you going?" Mai asked, turning to finally face him. "You are packing for quite a trip."

"Some island in the Pacific. Duel Monsters tournament."

Mai was surprised at that before grinning to herself; another duelist brought in by Pegasus. And one she'd never seen before. She tried to stay up to date on all the power players on the Duel Monster circuit, so she knew just how to deal with them. Which ones were brainless dolts who thought only with their hormones, the ones who could easily be tricked, and the ones who were cold customers and needed to see not the sultry seducer but the fierce warrior she could be. This one though… he was a rogue. A wild card in the deck. And Mai wasn't about to go on without some info.

"Duelist Kingdom? I'm competing too!" she said, adding a bit more bubbly charm to her voice than she normal used. "Oh, what a small world!"

"Ain't it?" the guy said with a smile.

"Mai Valentine. Oh, it will be so nice to know someone else when I get on the boat tomorrow." She gushed out the last few words before she offered her hand to him.

"Edwin Chaos," the newcomer said, accepting her hand in his own. Mai held on for a moment longer than needed, running her finger along his wrist. He tensed for a moment and she grinned, cooing, "Chaos… that is an unusual name."

"Can't blame anyone else, I chose it," he said with a scoffing chuckle before letting go of her hand. He was clearly a touch flustered by her advances but he wasn't being reduced to a whimpering puddle like the clerk was. "So, I think you and I might be the only two actually preparing for this thing. I ran into someone else and they were more concerned with the tournament itself rather than what they'd have to go through."

Mai nodded at that, using her cooing babydoll voice. "Oh yes… I just really hate the icky dirt and cold ground."

"And it helps that everyone else will be tired and sore when they wake up and we'll be well rested," Edwin answered back, finally moving and selecting the tent that was waterproof but far bigger than the one the clerk claimed could weather a monsoon. "Even if it's just for one night."

"That's very true!" Mai gushed. "You're so smart!"

"Smarter than most people you deal with, apparently," he said dryly. Mai blinked at that and he wagged his eyebrows. "Seriously, do people actually fall for that simpering girly girl routine? The vocal fry and the cutsey talk?"

Mai instantly dropped the act. "Usually. Not you?"

"Reverse. Annoys the hell out of me. I prefer my women to be smart."

"That so?" Mai asked as he turned to the clerk who finally reappeared with some solar batteries and a large portable charger one could wear. Smart. She could work with that.

"Yeah, I'd rather not have my kids be drooling idiots." Grabbing a dark green cart he began to stock up on supplies: a camp stove that could be run off the battery, the same with the lights, and after a moment a large thermos. He finally stopped at the coolers, rubbing his chin as he looked them over.

"Worried about prices?" Mai asked, finding Edwin Chaos to be an odd man. He was polite enough but he also seemed a bit reserved, stuck in his own head. And after breaking her little scheme to play the ditz he'd turned on his heel and walked away. She wasn't used to that. "With the prize money you could pay back anything you owe…"

"I don't go in debt. Never have, never will. Besides, with the prize money only going to one person I'd rather keep things under control that way I'm not cursing myself if I get booted off the island in the first few hours."

"Already assuming you are going to lose?" Mai asked, picking up a canteen and deciding to add it to her own purchases, tossing it to the clerk who was standing nearby to carry out her next order. "The same tent as Mr. Chaos here."

"I always assume I'm going to lose," Edwin stated, finally picking a cooler that was a bit bigger than a toaster. "Nah, I'll just go with water and preserved stuff." He pulled the stove out of his cart and walked back over to where he'd gotten it, placing it on the shelf. "Anyway, I always assume I am going to lose because then I'm never disappointed. Plan for the worst and all that rot."

"Maybe but I prefer to have confidence in myself," Mai said, zeroing in on a portable shower while Edwin looked over the sleeping bags, grabbing one and an inflatable pillow.

"Oh, I have confidence in myself but I always assume that life is going to kick me in the babydolls." Mai turned and stared at him and Edwin himself had an odd look on his face, as if he too didn't get why he'd said that. He finally shook his head and went back to shopping. "The point is I'm not going to spend money I don't need to and I still have more things to get."

"Like what?" Mai asked, deciding to mentally take notes. Edwin seemed to be on the same brainwaves as her and she was interested to see if he had ideas she hadn't considered… that she could then improve upon to one-up him.

"Suitcase with wheels, for one," he said. "Thick ones with good treads. Large enough to store everything so I just have to drag it around rather than carry it on my back." Mai thought of the rump sack she'd picked out and quickly decided to return that and get something like he was describing. "New clothes too. Waterproof shoes, gloves… got to be comfortable."

"Good," Mai said, giving him a once over. "I was afraid you'd wear something like that." When he gave her a flat look she smirked. "Half of dueling is the impression you give off. The style, the attitude. We are performers, after all!"

"Right… but you also need to be comfortable if you are mucking about a wild forest on an island in the Pacific." He waved his hand about as he grabbed a roll of bio-degrabeable toilet paper. "Have to think about colors… too dark and you'll roast in the sun. But also need to have enough clothing for all weather, warm or cold. I'll need to break my hiking books in too. Wouldn't do to get blisters. Probably walk around today to make sure I'm used to them."

Mai had considered that. She'd been planning to go in her standard dueling outfit: a white corset-style top, boots, and a matching purple jacket and short skirt. Perfect for teasing the boys and getting them all flustered to make mistakes. But trekking about an island? Edwin had the right of that and Mai made a mental note to grab some extra clothing, just in case. Still bring the fancy stuff but otherwise be ready for a serious workout.

"Batteries will cover the lights so my camping spot is well lit and it will power my phone. Need to pick out some books too."

Mai laughed at that. "Honey, if you think you'll have time to read…"

"You think duels are going to happen when the sun goes down?" Edwin asked. "Or what about when you're trying to eat?" He shook his head. "I don't do well when I'm bored. I get annoyed. My brain is like a sword and it needs a whet stone to keep sharp." He moved to the register and began to lay out his purchases. "Still need food too… doubt Pegasus is going to have hamburgers and hot dogs waiting about. Granola bars would be the smartest…"

"You are really thinking this through, aren't you?" Mai asked, trying to get him to actually talk to her. It was annoying her how he would converse with her only to then turn back to his shopping. She had to admit he was thinking more than most people did… she'd chatted with a few people and they seemed to believe that this would be like a resort vacation. Some, like Mako, could handle roughing it but Weevil? If he didn't win before nightfall that little vermin was going to die before the sun rose. Edwin Chaos though? He was plotting. And that made her a touch nervous. Because if he thought this many steps ahead just for how he'd go to sleep what would he be like in a duel?

She needed more info.

"I overplan, over think. Used to call myself a realist till that became the go-to word for smug jerks." He pulled out a credit card as the clerk rang up his order.

"And what do you call yourself now?"

"An overthinker with a hyperactive imagination and a rare blend of god-complex and inferiority complex." He paused. "But that doesn't roll of the tongue, does it?"

"It doesn't. But aren't you forgetting something?" Mai asked as Edwin swiped his card.

"And what's that?" he asked, leaning down to sign the receipt.

"You're deck," Mai pointed out as he moved out of the way so she could ring up her purchases. "Don't tell me you think that is all set. Some might try and claim that their decks are perfect but there is always room to improve."

"No, that's right," Edwin admitted. "I need to hit a card shop and see if there is anything good." Stuffing his purchases into the suitcase he'd purchased he zipped the whole thing up before he gave Mai a mock salute. "See ya."

Mai quickly thrust some money at the clerk before grabbing her own bags, bobbling the tent a bit as she hurried after Edwin, the man having already made it to the crosswalk by the time she left the store. She hadn't gotten anything out of him about his dueling style or how his deck was set up! She'd been so focused on what he was buying she'd forgotten that in the end it didn't matter how prepared he was if she sent him home the first day. "Wait!" Edwin, to his credit, did come to a stop, letting Mai catch up. "You… walk fast," she said, panting a touch.

"I have these long dancer's legs," he jested. "What's up?"

"You were nice enough to offer me suggestions on what to get in there… let's shop together a bit more. Help each other out."

Edwin considered this before nodded. "Works for me. But no rolling your eyes or making sarcastic comments if I stop to admit some action figures or comic books."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Mai said, mentally rolling her eyes. No matter how old they got some men were just… boys. "I know a place we can go that's right near here," she suggested, Edwin motioning for her to lead on. "Anything in particular you need help looking for?"

"Not really," Edwin said, not offering up any info. "Just need to see what they have."

"Oh, they have lots of stuff!" Mai said. "Fiends, Winged-Beasts, Fish, Aqua Monsters…" She kept glancing at Edwin but his face betrayed nothing, utterly neutral to the point that one would have thought he was in a bad mood if it were for the occasion smirk he'd flash her way or the twinkle in his eye. "So, what do you do when you aren't playing Duel Monsters?" Mai asked as they waited at the crosswalk, Edwin staring forward and bouncing on his heels.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Is that even allowed? To have interests outside of the game? I got the impression that everyone in this town played the game and that it was the only thing that mattered."

Mai chuckled at that. "Yes, it does seem like some people become… obsessed."

"Weevil Underwood?"

"Weevil Underwood."

The light switched and the two of them made their way across the street, Mai steering him towards the Nousagi Game Shop, one of her preferred places to hunt for new cards. Not as big as some of the more popular card shops in Domino but that also meant it wasn't as crowded which was a plus for Mai when she felt like actually being treated like a person rather than an object of lust. It also happened to be surrounded by a wonderful clothing store and one of her favorite restaurants, meaning she could easily make a day out of shopping and not have to leave the same block.

"So is that a stage name or were his parents actually that cruel?" Edwin asked.

"I'm honestly not sure. If it was a stage name now he's made it his real name."

Edwin whistled… or tried to. It kind of petered out half way through. "I don't think there is anything I would love enough that would get me to change my name just to make a silly pun."

"And what would your name be if you did change it?"

"Probably 'You're Fishing Mai, Stop It'." He shot her a dry look and Mai's eyes went wide before she smiled weakly, though that grin was more of a grimace at being caught.

"Listen, I'm just-"

"Trying to get an advantage. I get it. After all, I know your shtick so you want to know mine."

"My shtick?" Mai asked, making a face at the word choice.

"Harpie Lady deck focused on quick swarm," Edwin said with a shrug before locking eyes with her. "You don't have to be so sneaky and cut throat about things. Believe it or not there are some people in the world who aren't ice holes." Again he paused, his features going sour before he shook it off. "If you want to know what deck I run just ask."

Mai scoffed. "Word of advice? Don't offer such information for free."

"Word of advice?" he echoed. "If you are a good duelist it won't matter. Oh, and try not being rude to people who are just friendly. Why throw a punch when a tap on the shoulder will do? Why threaten when a kind word will get the same result. Consider that. Being a condescending birch isn't a good look on you." With that he turned and began to walk off again and Mai felt a small stab of guilt. Life had taught her to be hard, to be distrustful and to always look out for number one… but he was right that there were ways to do that and ways not to. And Edwin Chaos, while far too trusting, didn't seem like a bad person. Not like Rex or Weevil or Kaiba. Just… naïve.

"Wait!" Mai called out again, giving chase. "Wait!" For a moment she feared he'd just keep walking but after a moment Edwin stopped so she could catch up. "I'm sorry."

Edwin merely nodded. "So, this card shop?"

"Almost there," Mai said, taking back her role of lead. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"You're deck."

"Oh no, you don't find out that easily. You need to ask properly."

Mai rolled her eyes. "Okay, tell me."

Edwin let out a scoffing laugh. "No, that's not going to do at all. You need to say, "Mr. Chaos, will you tell me what kind of deck you run, please?". The 'mister' part is important, shows respect."

"Really?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." He paused before adding. "Now you have to say "Mr. Chaos, will you tell me what kind of deck you run, pretty please?"."

"That's even worse!" Mai exclaimed. "I am not saying that."

"Well now you have to add 'with a cherry on top' to the end."

"You aren't serious."

"Deadly," Edwin said with a wide wicked grin. "Come on Mai, you've been around long enough… 'I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed, ain't nothing in this world for free'," he sang the last part. "You want something from me… you pay."

"Then I'll find out on my own!" Mai said hotly. "Because I'm not going to embarrass myself like that."

"Why not? I embarrass myself all the time. This it?" the blonde bombshell looked up and realized they were standing in front of the game shop.

"Yeah," she said, deciding to not give into her urge to storm away from the infuriating man and instead go back to her original plan of observing him. Edwin stepped in and began to look around, surprising Mai by not making a beeline right for the cases full of cards and instead looking at the racks of magazines and then the shelves lined with toys. The clerk said hello and Edwin nodded but refused the offer of help, wandering about seemingly with no strategy or pattern. Mai resisted the urge to tap her foot and sigh until he finally got to the cards. She didn't know if he realized what he was doing but either way it was driving her nearly batty.

Finally… FINALLY… he moved to the glass display counters, glancing at the cards, sometimes squatting down to get a better look, other times bending over to look through the top of the case. What truly frustrated Mai was the fact that he didn't seem to ever truly look at one particular type of card. For a moment she thought he was a machine user, as he asked a question about some metal bug monster, but then he moved on to look at some warrior cards.

"Anything of interest?" Mai asked, walking over and leaning down so that her breasts were near his face.

Edwin glanced at her and for a moment she thought she had him only for him to turn away. "I assume you are talking about the cards?" he snarked. "A couple. Do you own Cyber Shield? They have a copy if you don't."

"I… wait, they do?" Edwin pointed to a case and Mai instantly forgot about grilling the man and instead focused on the card. "Oh, that would be perfect… and its on sale too! Darrin?" she waved the owner over. "How much for that?"

"¥1680," Darrin, a thin man with thick black-rimmed glasses and a bowl-haircut, told her.

"Bought," Mai said quickly. "That will… Edwin?" she looked around only to find that he'd moved to the main case in the shop, the one that held the most costly cards. Edwin had pulled out a notebook and was tapping a pen against it as he stared at one of the shelves. "What did you find?"

"Exodia set," he said, pointing to the five cards. "What are the cost of these, sir?"

Darrin walked over, handing Mai her card in a hardcase. "I charged it to your account, Miss Valentine. What cards, sir?"

"The Exodia set."

"The full set is ¥300,000."

Edwin nodded at that and Mai's mind boggled at such a price. Her entire deck didn't cost that much and while Exodia WAS powerful no one had ever managed to summon it, as far as she knew. "And each piece?"

"I'm selling it as a full set," Darrin said, shaking his head.

"But if you were. Curious."

"¥55,000. But again-"

"And if someone were to want to sell pieces, what would you pay? ¥50,000?"

"¥45,000."

Edwin shook his head. "Maybe… maybe."

"You have pieces of Exodia?" Mai asked, startled. "And you want to SELL them?"

"No, just curious." He pointed to a card right below the Exodia set. "What about that one?"

Mai blinked. "The Dark Magician Girl?"

"¥17,000, sir."

"No way. ¥11,200."

Darrin laughed at that. "Now you are being unreasonable."

"I don't think so," Edwin countered. "That card is strong, yes, but most people won't use it because the effect isn't worth it without a Dark Magician and those things are rarer than Exodia. Besides, there are cheaper cards to have for brute force. You have it marked up for rarity but the demand is small. What good is a rare card if no one is going to buy it? It's worthless until someone wants it and with how you have it priced you don't have anything of value you have something wasting space."

Darrin blustered at that before rallying. "¥16,500 then."

"Don't waste my time. ¥12,700."

The shop owner narrowed his eyes. "¥16,000."

Mai marveled as Edwin's eyes flashed. She'd seen that look before on card sharks, back when she'd been a dealer on a casino boat. She was real good at winning for the house (and thus netting herself some nice bonuses) and knew how to string people along who got on a hot streak until their luck changed and they suddenly went cold. But when she saw the look Edwin was sending Darrin she always knew it was time to ask for a break and let some other fool be dealer for them. Because they knew how to play the game and win.

"Let me ask you something… what is worth more to you? The money you WILL make now or the money you may make a year down the road. Because I can promise you that you're not selling that card any time soon. And that's assuming you get lucky and Industrial Illusions don't do a reprint… I've heard rumors they are thinking of doing just that with some cards. People are complaining that they want the cards their idols are using but can't get a hold of them. You think the card will hold its value but all it takes is a rumor and suddenly the price goes spiraling down." He walked over to another case and began to point out cards. "Steel Scorpion, ¥1670. Neo the Magic Swordsmen, ¥2810. Armed Ninja, ¥1200. Mystical Space Typhoon, ¥3440. That right there is more than what I'm asking for you to knock off the Magician Girl. I want those cards but I'm willing to walk away now, along with what I'm willing to spend on the Dark Magician Girl. Now… I know for a fact that there are at least five other card shops within walking distance; I only came here because Mai suggested it. It might take all day but I can find all four of those cards, minus the Magician Girl. But I promise there won't be anyone coming in today willing to drop that much money. Maybe all this week. Do the math here, Darrin… and be smart."

Darrin though shook his head. "I'm not-"

"What about a duel?" Mai quickly suggested. Edwin shot her a look and she smiled. "Edwin wins he gets his discounts, you win he pays full."

The shop keep poked at the inside of his cheek before shaking his head. "If he's with you, Mai, then he's at least a halfway decent duelist. That's a gamble I'm going to lose."

"Then we do first blood," Edwin suggested. When the two looked at him he held out his arms. "We play until the first person damages the other person's lifepoints. Doesn't matter how much, just that first damage scored wins. No putting monsters in defense either… we draw until someone wins."

"I don't…" Darrin began only for Mai to hold up her hand.

"Let me talk with him for a moment, Edwin," she said, her shopping companion nodding before he pulled out his notebook and began to scribble some things down. Pulling the shop owner aside Mai hissed, "I'll cover half the expense if he loses."

"What?" Darrin whispered.

"He and I are both going to the same tournament and I'm trying to figure out what deck he uses. You duel him and I'll cover half of the cost if you lose."

"But I'll still be-"

"It's ¥3,400," Mai complained. "You were willing to reduce it by nearly half that among. And he's right that you won't have any takers for that card. When is the last time you heard of someone using a Dark Magician? Besides… just stack your deck with powerful monsters and demand to go second. You just need to get one hit in."

Darrin thought that over before nodding. "Alright… and I'm charging your half directly to your account, Mai."

"You don't trust me?"

"Not as far as I can throw you," Darrin said before calling out to Edwin, "Alright, you have a deal."

Tucking his notebook back into his pocket Edwin opened his deckbox and pulled out his cards. It took Darrin several minutes as he said he needed to run to the back to get his deck but Mai knew he was really going through his inventory and pulling all his strongest monsters so that his deck was stacked with bruisers. Edwin merely waited, looking about like a child told to wait for his mommy while she tried on a shirt in the fitting room. Finally Darrin returned and Edwin held out his deck for his opponent to shuffle. The owner of the store cleared off space by the register and moved to stand behind the counter while Edwin stood on the other side. "Who goes first?"

"You made the challenge to I get second turn."

"Fair enough," Edwin said, drawing his cards while Mai moved to stand between them. She rubbed her fingers together, gleeful that she'd finally- "I play Sparks. 200 to your life points. I win."

"…what?" Mai said flatly.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot I'm supposed to explain what every card does. Sparks allows me to do 200 damage to your lifepoints automatically. And due to the rules-"

"That… but…" Darrin stammered.

"So that is Dark Magician Girl, Steel Scorpion, Neo, Armed Ninja, and Mystical Space Typhoon. I'll want a receipt."

Mai could only stare in stunned silence as Darrin grumbled but got Edwin's purchases, trying to work out how the blond man had managed to take her carefully made plans and shred them into confetti. She was so befuddled that it took the man tapping her on the shoulder and nodding towards the door before she finally snapped out of her stupor and followed him out.

"Well that was nice but I have a bad feeling he might not let me come back again," Edwin said, rocking back and forth on heels as they waited for the crosswalk light to change.

"I'll talk to him about it," Mai said before glancing at Edwin, something clicking in her head. "So… no need for me to say pretty please."

"I think you just did," Edwin pointed out but when Mai scowled he held up his hands. "Kidding, kidding." The light turned and they began to cross the road, Mai having to hurry to keep up with his long strides. "What do you mean?"

"I know what kind of deck you run." 

"You caught me… it's a deck made up entirely of Sparks."

"No," Mai said dryly. "You use the Dark Magician."

"Oh?"

"Why else spend so much on the Dark Magician Girl if you don't have the Dark Magician?"

Edwin smirked. "Swing and a miss, Mai. Nice try. I need to get some food now… granola bars and such…"

"Okay, let's say you don't own the Dark Magician… why did you buy that card then? Why blow so much money on it?"

Edwin pursed his lips, clearly considering why Mai had said and just when she was thinking he was going to admit that she'd nailed it on the head and he was focused on the Dark Magician he asked, "You hear of Yugi Moto?"

Mai glanced at him as he pulled out his phone, checked for directions, and then made a right. "Should I have?"

"He defeated Seto Kaiba."

She blinked in surprise at that. "Seto Kaiba? The so-called best duelist in the world?"

"So-called because you haven't faced him?" Edwin teased. "Yeah, that would be him."

"This… Yugi Muto?"

"Moto."

"Defeated Kaiba?"

"Eeeyup," he said, popping the P at the end. "Ask your sources if you don't believe me. And don't try and deny it, I know you have sources. Woman like you wouldn't." Mai was surprising once more at how intuitive Edwin Chaos was. Many of the professional duelists had begun forming networks of people to pass along information. She had people like Darrin that kept an eye out for cards (and she was going to ask WHY exactly he hadn't let her know about the Cyber Armor card sooner), others on what her rivals and opponents were doing, and still more for rumors about tournaments and other events. She would have to make some quiet inquiries about Yugi Moto to see if what Edwin was saying was true. "Now my sources tell me that he's attracted Pegasus' attention. The man has a rather… unhealthy obsession when it comes to Seto Kaiba so someone defeating him would instantly get them on his radar. Apparently, despite having never competed in a tournament, Moto has been invited to Duelist Kingdom." 

"And he uses the Dark Magician," Mai supplied.

Edwin smirked. "Doesn't hurt to have a card he might be interested in. Alliances and allies have been made with less."

"Hmmm," Mai said, seeing the logic in that. Not her normal way of handling things, as she tended to go it alone and if she did have to rely on anyone she liked to make it strictly business, but she could see where Edwin was coming from. "So that is your plan? Cozy up to Moto?"

"Not just him," Edwin said. "Few other people I have my eye on. I have a card Mako Tsunami might like… and if you hadn't been with me I'd have probably bought the Cyber Armor myself to trade to you later on."

Mai nodded at that. Edwin Chaos was far more cunning then she had pegged him for. With his sloppy style and casual air one would think him to just be a casual duelist… but there was steel under that smile and laugh and a brain that liked to play not just duel monsters but the interpersonal game. Despite spending an hour with him she had learned next to nothing about him . She didn't even know what kind of deck he ran other than he had Sparks of all cards in it. That wasn't enough to plan ahead with a strategy on how to beat him. She needed more.

"Unless you want to watch me shop for snacks I think this is where we part," he said, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Well," Mai said, reaching over and walking her fingers along his chest. She couldn't waste time watching him grocery shop but she wasn't about to let him walk away without give her SOMETHING. Flashing her most smoldering gaze she stood on her toes and whispered, "Maybe you and I could meet for dinner tonight? To celebrate before we head off to Duelist Kingdom?"

Edwin looked down at her for a moment before, to her shook, his face became thunderous. He took a step back, making her nearly topple, and folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe, if I thought you actually did like me like that and weren't STILL trying to trick me into revealing what deck I run… I might have said yes. Not even in a romantic sense, but as a friend because I think you really need one, Mai." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Ask nicely. That's all I wanted. Couldn't even do that." He turned and stormed off without a word.

Mai just stared at his retreating form… trying to figure out what had went wrong. No one had ever turned her down. No one. She made men putty in her hands all the time and yet Edwin hadn't merely turned her away… he'd been ENRAGED that she'd attempted to seduce him.

"Who are you, Edwin Chaos?"

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: So this is a story I began working on last year and only got about three chapters done before I moved away from it. But, that said, it has been in my mind for a long time so I decided to see what the reaction would be to it.

I will state that updates for this will not be regular. Due to the size of it and the need to plan the duels it will come out whenever I feel like, though reviews will naturally make me want to write more.

The style of this story is based on the epic Author Insert story This Bites!, both in how I approach the main character (who, despite what I might claim in story, isn't truly me but a version of myself twisted and blended to create someone someone LIKE me but not me, much like Cross himself) and the style of switching from first person to third.

Duelist Kingdom will see Edwin using a mixed deck, much like almost every main character does, before Battle City will see him switch to a more focused deck… and I'm sure you can guess what type that will be based on his… mine… god this is confusing… Edwin's Ace card.

Finally, the ending of this chapter was to kill off any idea that I was going to have my Author Insert get in a relationship with Mai or anyone else. This isn't that kind of fic. Alliances, friendships? Yes. But I'm not going the creepy route of having Edwin and Mai get together or Edwin and anyone else.


	2. A Not So Quite Unexpected Journey

I sighed as I checked my bag over one more time, trying to focus on making sure I hadn't forgotten anything. There was nothing worse than starting a trip only to realize that a toothbrush had been left behind. The problem was that rather than thinking about the cruise and all that waited for me on that island my mind was elsewhere, namely my first interaction with one of the main Yu-Gi-Oh! characters.

I hadn't meant to run into any of cast this soon. In fact I was trying to avoid it for as long as possible. Not because I was worried or anything, as I knew that Yugi and his friends were pretty kind and trusting. Heck, they had bought the shit Weevil was shoveling when they'd met him despite him acting like a trenchcoat wearing Gollum rubbed his deck like it was Precious. I could have easily walked to Kame Game and introduced myself and even with his worries about his grandpa Yugi would have welcomed me with a smile. No, the problem was my age. No matter how one could try and manipulate it in the end it would be someone in their early 20s hanging out with a group of sophomores.

'Which only makes Mai and Joey's relationship all the creepier. Swap the genders and Mai would have been arrested as a predator. Last thing I need is to climb a set of stairs with Tea ahead of me… "Why hello Chris Hanson! No, I'm just here to talk with my friend Tea… she might look like she is 20 be she's actually 15 or so-OW STOP BEATING ME WITH YOUR NIGHTSTICKS!".'

Worst, in my mind I was in my 30s, despite what I might look like in this world. I could have been Yugi's father, for god's sake! What was I supposed to say if someone pressed me? 'Hi, I just happen to play the same games as these young teens and now I'd like us to play magical games together, but they can't discuss it because it's a super secret game-AAAAARGH! MY EYES! STOP PEPPER SPRAYING ME!'

Yeah, that would have gone over well.

Kaiba would have been even worse. Right now, what with losing to Yugi and the Big 5's actions, Seto was in full paranoid mode, focused solely on his brother… and while I couldn't remember exactly when Mokuba had been kidnapped I knew that showing up acting all friendly with Kaiba only for his brother to end up in a cell would have made me the prime suspect.

As I finally zipped up my bag and did one last pass through my room I felt a twinge of guilt over Mokuba's fate. "Nothing I could do about it," I muttered to myself. "I might know about the kidnapping but I couldn't have stopped it." Despite my attempts to reassure myself that I was blameless it still bugged me that I had known that a child had been or was about to be thrown into a cell and done nothing. "I swear, Pegasus, if I get my chance I'll make sure you pay for that."

That was the other thing that kept me from getting too involved with Yugi and his friends: changing canon. Things had worked out pretty good at the end of the anime: the Pharaoh defeated Zorc, was given his reward in the afterlife, and everyone lived in the end. At worst a few people probably would need to see a shrink (and honestly I needed to look into that myself, considering that my already fragile grasp on reality was taking a battering thanks to me being in a fictional world) and a few villains got trapped in a digital world that then got erased or done blown up, but otherwise everything had worked out. I had no idea what my meddling might do.

'Let's say I decide I go to Yugi and give him the information about the battlefield bonus, so he is able to prepare for that and prevent Weevil from taking advantage of that. The little twerp goes down hard, Yugi utterly crushing him and I get to laugh in his face and cement myself as a strong ally. All good, right? Except then Pegasus might send Panik after Yugi instead of having him just pick off other trainers. Now, I don't doubt Yugi could defeat the paid duelist eliminator or whatever his title was but losing all her Star Chips and having Yugi win them back inspired Mai to help out later on. Without that she could completely bypass him, go into the castle, and Yugi doesn't get to compete and his grandpa's soul is lost. Or maybe Panik shows up and Joey, being so gungho to win Star Chips, challenges him and loses, eliminating him completely from Duelist Kingdom.'

I rubbed my forehead with two fingers. I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines but I couldn't go firing cannon balls into canon.

Heading out of the apartment (my uncle had warned that he'd have to work late and thus wished me well in the morning before work) I made for the elevator and thought about my encounter with Mai. My plan had been to make friends with Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea when we were on the ship. They hadn't had that great of an experience getting to Duelist Kingdom and I figured that being a friendly face would help. I wouldn't hang off them like a limpet but I would be friendly and let them know I was someone they could talk to if we happened to run into each other. The time to truly bond would be in the castle when I got to watch Yugi kick Pegasus' but. That would establish me in their eyes and set the stage for Battle City. Of everyone else only Mai had been on my radar to meet and greet. Rex was a jerk and Weevil was a creep, Mako wasn't bad but he was eliminated too early, and Bandit Keith was simply a no-no (and I might punch him for embarrassing all Americans… more than we already have been). As for Bakura… well, without any protection there was no way I was getting close to him if I could help it. I didn't need Zorc's little soul fragment or whatever the heck Yami Bakura was deciding to send me to the shadow realm.

But everything had changed when the gods or whoever was mucking with my life had led me to meet Mai early.

I ground my teeth as I stepped off the elevator and headed towards the taxi I'd called to pick me up. 'I lost my temper… I shouldn't have done that. But damn that woman for being so… stubborn!' I knew I was being a hypocrite, as she was merely trying to influence the situation to her advantage and I was planning to do the same. But it was her stubbornness that got to me. 'I know she is a loner and wraps herself in her mask of being a cold and dominating woman but was it really so hard for her to just ask about my deck?' I hopped into the taxi once my suitcase was loaded and rolled my head up to stare at the roof of the car. 'Just admit it, Chaos… you're mad because she flirted with you.'

I knew most people would have been questioning my sanity and my sexuality for turning down Mai Valentine. Ignoring the fact that the curse that kept me from swearing probably would keep me from getting too far with Mai the fact remained that I wasn't one for casual hookups. Never had one and honestly I didn't think I could have one. I wasn't sure if I was technically demisexual, needing deep emotional connection in order to be with someone, but I knew that I leaned towards it. I had girlfriends, not cheap flings. Doing something so causal? It just… wasn't in my nature. And Mai trying to toy with me like that just because she didn't want to say 'please'? It didn't make how I reacted right and the lovely guilt that was in my heart that would make a jewish mother jealous was tap dancing on my heart, telling me how I was wrong and I needed to apologize.

Now I had no idea what to expect when I arrived on the ship. I doubted I'd get an apology from her. The best options were that she would just ignore me and pretend it never happened. At worst she'd either get mad and make a scene… or take it as a challenge that I had rejected her and try and seduce me all the harder. 'And while most people in this situation would be drooling at the idea of Mai Valentine hitting on them that is just going to create more headaches.'

After that I just brooded, watching as Domino buzzed by, and tried to remember all I could about the show. I hadn't watched the anime in years but I remembered enough about what had happened that I felt that I could accurately guess what would happen. The boat took off at 7pm after sunset. It would take all night to get to Duelist Kingdom and sometime in the morning Pegasus had started the entire event. One full day went by, sunset would lead to the duels against Bakura and Panik, then would come the second day before Kaiba and Yugi's big duel on the castle rampart. After that Kaiba faced Pegasus (I honestly couldn't remember if that had happened right away or the next morning but I was willing to bet it was that day) and then Pegasus served a late supper to determine the dueling order. The next morning were the first round matches, then the night when Tristan, Tea, and Bakura climbed a tower for… reasons (I still wasn't clear on why they'd done that… or half of the motives of the characters) and then the next morning Joey vs. Yugi and then Yugi vs. Pegasus. I counted it out on my fingers; not counting today I'd be on that island for at most around 4 days.

'Except I can't assume anything is concrete,' I thought to myself as the taxi pulled up to the wharf and I stepped out, the cool ocean air hitting me right in the face and making me glad I'd decided to go with my favorite gray hoodie. I adjusted my Tigers baseball cap and walked over to the trunk, retrieving my suitcase and wheeling it towards where a small crowd had begun to gather before a truly massive cruise ship, a table already set up for registration. 'There was nothing in the anime about Kaiba secretly being the fifth contestant in the tournament and automatically getting the right to claim the money and a duel. I don't know if that changed because I am here or it was never brought up. But I could end up uncovering things that never got mentioned… and that could throw my plans out of wack.' And that I really didn't like, as I was someone who liked things to work out exactly as planned and REALLY didn't like surprises and setbacks.

Grabbed my earbuds I threaded them through my hoodie and connected them to my phone before pulling up Queen's "Under Pressure" and letting the genius of Freddy Mercury and David Bowie will away my concerns and worries as I looked about the crowd. A lot of the people in the crowd looked like they had just left school and come straight to the dock. A lot of school uniforms or casual clothes. A few were decked out in more showy outfits, like Weevil in his green coat or Mako in his blue vest and his tight pants that made me think that he'd make a good Aquaman in this universe. Me? I'd gone with my favorite gray hoodie and a pair of jeans, my hiking boots on and my Tigers cap (because Michigan had to represent). The only things that set me apart at all was my large suitcase, my earbuds (thank god this world's 2001 was more advanced than my world's 2001), my deck box (secured with a lock because I didn't trust half of these people not to try something), and my uncle's key he'd given me dangling around my neck.

Yugi and Joey might have been willing to put up with tricks and schemes and answer by merely dueling the offenders but I didn't put up with that bullshit. Back in my world I was famous among my employees for hating April Fool's Day and making it clear to them that any such tricks would result in me dropping the hammer on them. So I had some… surprises… ready just in case anyone tried anything foolish.

"Attention duelists!"

I looked up and pretended to listen as one of Pegasus' goons give his speech about why we were there and what we needed to get on the boat. Instead I just switched to some AC/DC and waited for them to motion for us to begin boarding before I quickly made a beeline towards the front of line.

"Star Chips?" the check in man asked.

"Right here," I said, presenting my two chips. "I also have this card… it said to present it to you…"

"Ah!" the other man said pleasantly, taking the card and checking it over before handing it back. "You have been selected to have a private room for your trip to Duelist Kingdom. This card will serve as your keycard." He flashed a smile. "Be glad… only the finalists from the National Championship and you are getting rooms. Have a pleasant-"

"Hold up," I said, raising a hand. "Where is everyone else going to sleep?"

"Mr. Pegasus has arranged a common room to be made up for them."

I shot the man a look of utter confusion. "This ship can hold thousands of people and you are making people sleep on the floor?"

"Mr. Pegasus' orders, sir. Now please board."

I rolled my eyes. "For a man who can afford to give away $3 million Pegasus sure is a cheapsake." Still I snatched up my roomkey back and began to make my way up the gangplank only to pause when I heard a commotion. Looking down I couldn't help but stop and stare.

It was Joey. Trying to sneak onto the ship. Joey Wheeler.

"Joey?"

"Yugi…" I whispered, staring at the young man that, in roughly a year's time, would save the earth from a demonic menace so great it's threat had spanned millennia. Until that moment, seeing the glint of that puzzle and that ridiculous hair… I hadn't truly comprehended what had happened to me. Where I stood. What awaited me. Even holding my deck in my hand and feeling the Heart of the Cards thrum through Endymion, walking the streets of Domino, getting the invitation to Duelist Kingdom, talking with Mai… it hadn't struck me just what my new reality was. Not until that moment.

It was enough to make me shiver.

"Hey, come on!" someone said behind me. "I know its exciting get a move on, man!"

"Right… right…" I quickly hurried along, shaking myself from my stupor and stepping on board the ship.

~MC~MC~MC~

Mako Tsunami patted the wall of the cruise ship before nodding to himself. It was a fine ship, nice and sturdy and strong. He could tell just by placing his hands upon it that it would get them safely to their journey, no matter what the sea might throw at that. He knew that many thought the journey would be an easy one, that they would have, no pun intended, smooth sailing. Even the weather reports stated that the winds would be calm, the sky clear, and the waves gentle. Still, he had been on the ocean far too long to believe that anyone could predict what it would be like. He had seen peaceful days become swallowed up by raging storms and the violent seas suddenly calm. Still, the boat was strong enough and he knew it would get them there.

Entering the common room he watched as several other duelists selected where they would be sleeping while others were showing off their decks, making trades and having quiet duels to hone their skills. Mako had done neither of these things, having preferred to grab a bite to eat. While Pegasus hadn't arranges for private rooms for everyone he had at least laid out a buffet and Mako had happily grabbed some cooked shrimp and several lobster rolls before wandering about the ship. He chose a wall and leaned against it, watching the people go about their business. It was all fun and games at the moment but he knew that tomorrow the contest would begin and the schools of fishes would turn into a feeding frenzy of hungry sharks.

"I see I'm not the only person sane on this boat," someone said and Mako turned to find a tall man a couple years older than him had walked over and joined him. Lifting up a turkey sandwich the man smiled. "Food first, chat second."

"One never knows when their next meal might be," Mako stated before taking a bite of his lobster roll.

"I'm more of the opinion that when there is an easy meal you gorge first before the rest of the scavengers show up." The man stuck his bottle of water in the pocket of his hoodie and held out his hand. "Edwin Chaos."

"Mako Tsunami," he created. Looking back over the assembled duelists Mako shook his head and smiled. "Still, I can't blame them… for some their nerves make it hard to keep anything down while others are more concerned about staking their claim to the best spot than filling their bellies." 

"And you aren't?" Edwin asked.

"Oh no," Mako said, waving off his comment. "My deck is ready. I have built it to honor the sea that gives life and anything else would merely pollute it. As for sleep I much prefer the sky above me than a ceiling. I will sleep above deck with the waves in my ears."

"A man who knows what he wants. Can respect that."

"What of you?" Mako asked. "Why did you choose food over everything else?"

"Well I lucked out and got a room thanks to my uncle and as for my deck I've already got that locked up, just like you." He patted the deck box that was attached to his belt. "Besides, I'm not much of a people person. I can… handle them… but I prefer to be by myself, you know?" 

"Indeed I do," Mako said, understanding exactly what his new companion was getting at. "Then why did you come to talk to me then, if you are so shy?"

At that Edwin laughed. "Oh, I'm not shy. When I set my mind to it I can be the life of a party. I've been on stage and performed in front of packed audiences. It doesn't bother me… I just prefer the quiet." He paused to take a large bite of his sandwich. "As for why I came over…" he swallowed, "…well, I decided to at least try and interact with other people. The only problem is-"

"That's a cool card! Oh, look at that one! Wanna trade? Huh? Look at these babies! Guys?"

Mako and Edwin watched as some blond teen began to dart about the room, harassing everyone he could find.

"-well… that," he finished.

"I see your point," Mako said with a quiet chuckle. "I haven't seen you around any of the tournaments. Are you from out of the country?"

"Yeah," Edwin said. "My uncle broke his leg so I'm taking his place and… snippets!"

"Snippets?" Mako asked, turning to find his companion turning his head and covering his face with his hand.

"SHHH! Don't draw attention to yourself!"

"What's the problem?"

"You see the blonde that just walked in?"

"The… oh, Mai Valentine!" Mako frowned as he saw the famous Harpie duelist look about the common room before stomping her foot in outrage and storming off, snarling something about sleeping conditions. "She just left." 

"Thank God!" Edwin said, finally turning back around and dropping his arm to his side.

Mako looked at the other man carefully. "There is a story I am missing here."

"I ran into her yesterday and it didn't end well."

"Ah. Well cheer up, I hear many men try to woo that flower and-"

"I turned her down."

Mako blinked. "Pardon?"

"She was trying to trick me into giving her information about my deck. I told her she just had to… it doesn't matter, the point is I stormed off after and now I really want to avoid her since I have no idea how she'll react."

"Well she just went off to complain to about the common room, I think."

"Good." Edwin looked around before polishing off his sandwich. "You didn't happen to see what happened to that hyperactive blond teen, did you?"

"The one asking to make trades? He and the shorter boy with spiky hair were talking with Weevil Underwood." Mako shook his head and let out a scoff. "I hope they are careful, Weevil has a reputation of using underhanded tactics." Edwin shifted uneasily at that, his jaw clenched and his body tense. "Do not worry, so long as they are careful…"

"Yeah, somehow I don't think either of them realize how treacherous Weevil can be." The older man jerked his head towards the door. "I'm going to check up on them… just to make sure."

"I'll come with you," Mako offered, stuffing his last piece of shrimp into his mouth. "I could use the fresh air."

The two of them weaved their way through the common room and made their way out into the hall, Edwin pausing only for a moment before making his way towards the port side of the ship. Mako had to practically jog to keep up with the other man, his long legs eating up space quickly. They came out on deck and Edwin swiveled his head about, looking this way and that while gritting his teeth.

"What is the matter?" Mako asked, not at all winded but still concerned by his new friend's odd actions.

Edwin let out two quick blasts of air from between his clenched teeth. "I just have a bad feeling-"

"SAY GOODBYE TO EXODIA!"

"NOOO!" 

"There!" Edwin snapped, now racing forward with Mako hot on his heels. They had to dart back into the ship and then down a hall but when they emerged they caught sight of the rail… and the blond teen diving off the edge of the cruise liner into the cool water below, his friend following a second later.

"Get help!" Mako shouted, shedding his vest without thinking and checking to make sure his waterproof deckbox was shut tight. Edwin, meanwhile, had crouched down and grabbed a gold box that Mako vaguely remembered seeing the shorter teen carrying. "I will get the two of them out!"

He didn't wait for a response, instead gracefully diving over the rail. The air rushed by him, whistling in his ears, and he stuck his hands out seconds before he hit the ocean's surface and plunged into the inky darkness. Kicking hard against the chop the boat was kicking up Mako burst back up and began to swim hard, quickly spotting the short teen struggling to help his friend. He could tell the taller one was losing his strength fast, not used to fighting such heavy churning water, and he put on a bit more speed. The spiky-haired one was crying for help while fighting to keep his head above the waves, his quest to save his friend threatening to drag him down too.

"Hold on!" Mako said, covering the last few feet and reaching them. "Give him here, I'm a stronger swimmer!" The short teen nodded and passed over his friend and Mako lifted him, the blond coughing and sucking in a mouthful of air. "Steady, I've got you!"

"Guys!"

Mako looked up to see two more teens, one a girl in a pink and yellow outfit, the other a boy in a long brown coat, had gotten one of the emergency ladders and had tossed it down to them. Edwin was gripping the edge of the rail, his face pale as he looked down at them.

"You go first!" Mako called out to the short teen, the boy nodding and swimming for the ladder. "Kick with me," he commanded the one he was holding, the blond young man nodding and working with Mako to get to the ladder. It seemed that he was slowly regaining his strength and between the two of them they were able to get to the ladder. The climb was slow but finally all three of them were back on deck, shivering as the cool night air struck their wet skin but otherwise fine.

"Thank you so much," the girl practically sobbed, not caring in the slightest how wet Mako was as she leapt over and hugged him tight. "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been there!"

"It's all right," Mako said, patting her on the back. "I'm glad we were here. You can thank my new friend."

Edwin, who had finally backed away from the rail and had got his color back (Mako had a sneaking suspicion the older man was afraid of heights), merely nodded. "Always… trust my gut."

"Well I am glad you trusted it," the shorter teen said, reaching over and shaking Edwin's hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." With that Edwin stood up. "I'll go get the captain."

"What for?" the coat-wearing teen asked.

"To report that little basket Weevil Underwood for stealing your cards and sending you two over the rail."

"Wait, don't!" the short teen exclaimed, grabbing for Edwin's arm. "Please, let it go." 

"He stole your cards," Edwin pointed out.

Mako nodded. "You two could have died. At the very least he should be kicked out of the tournament."

The four teens shared a look before the blond rubbed the back of his head. "Listen… we'd rather not get ourselves on anyone's radar, if that's alright. We appreciate it but… we'd rather handle it with a duel then involve any officials."

"Are you sure?" Mako asked.

"Positive," the short teen said. "Weevil will have his day soon enough."

Mako's lips pressed into a firm line but finally he nodded. "Very well… I don't like it but I will honor your choice." He stood up. "At the very least let us get you some towels."

"Thank you," the girl said, finally realizing that now she was wet from hugging them all. She made a face and flicked droplets of water from her hands, accidently flicking the water on the trenchcoat wearing teen who let out a cry of protest.

Mako and Edwin stood up and after he retrieved his vest both began to walk back down the hall, the quiet and contemplative after what had just occurred. "I do not like it… Weevil has always been a sneak but this time he has gone too far."

"I agree," Edwin said.

"But clearly those four have secrets of their own and we can not risk exposing them. I suppose there is little we can do."

Edwin though merely took off his glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. "Go get them the towels and then tell them to stay there. Let Yugi know I put his deck box in the corner behind one of those huge pipe things sticking out of the deck." With that he turned and began walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"To deal with Underwood," Edwin said darkly, his voice rumbling like a distance storm.

~MC~MC~MC~

All my plans to lay low and not change things died a swift death thanks to Weevil.

Chatting with Mako was a risk but one I had managed to justify in my head. One might not want to influence George Washington and cause the colonies to lose the war but didn't mean one wasn't tempted to say hello and shake his hand. I'd messed things up chatting with Mai but I was hopeful that wouldn't affect things greatly and no matter how I played the conversation I'd had with Mako I couldn't see how that would alter the future. I had been seconds away from returning to my room when my wonderful, oh so wonderful, conscious piped up and began to tap dance on my soul, singing at the top of its lungs about what Weevil was about to do and how would I like it if someone could have stepped in and helped me after losing something precious to me and they didn't.

Thankfully for the fabric of the universe I didn't get there soon enough to stop Weevil from tossing the Exodia pieces over the edge. Because I would have done just that. I would have broken that little bastard's wrist… or at minimum intimidated him into backing off. I was also too late to stop Joey from being insanely stupid and diving off a damn ship to try and save some (admittedly expensive) cards. Mako going in to get Joey and Yugi was something I hadn't expected but better him than me… I was never a fan of heights nor deep water thus diving into a churning ocean was not something I was ever going to be able to do.

But deal with that cackling bastard who'd caused all this? Oh yes… that was something I could do.

People leapt out of my way as I stormed through the halls, my face must have clearly shown just how enraged I was. When I got into the common room I could hear the runt still giggling over what he had done, holding court with a couple of wide-eyed teens who were hanging on his every word, thrilled just to be able to stand next to the National Champion. He was explained in great detail how he had managed to win the said Championship, speaking of his skill and cunning, and how half of a duel was the mental game one played before hand. He would chuckle at that, his high-pitched 'heeheheehehee' filling the air as he rubbed his hands together, throwing in mild insults at Rex for good measure that the suckups lapped up like warm cream.

The common room had grown rather crowded since I'd left, people moving off the main deck as the boat had gotten moving, the winds had grown more steady and cold. Some were still trading cards, others had grabbed food from the buffet that had been set up two doors down, and others had simply decided to just hang out and chat and make a lot of noise. First one, then another, then a small pocket of duelists, spotted me and grew quiet, elbowing those around them and nodding in the direction of the door I was standing in. As those people saw what must have been a truly thunderous look on my face they grew silent. Food was put aside, trades halted, and conversations stopped in their tracks. Like a wave the silence rippled from the front of the common room to the back, people slowly turned to stare at me before they looked away, fearful of making eye contact. Interestingly enough the only one who didn't grow quiet was the one person in the entire room that I was interested in. Weevil had become far too wrapped up in his story to realize that his audience was no longer focused on him.

I stalked forward and teens scattered and shifted, parting like the Red Sea. Still Weevil continued to brag and boast, letting out little peals of laughter. I stopped just behind him and all the hangers-on that had been following his entire tale with almost a religious fervor now only had eyes for me as I loomed over the parasite. The brat thought he was a king holding court only now those in attendance saw the looming devil standing behind the throne.

Weevil, finally cluing in that something was wrong, turned and promptly stumbled back onto his ass as he realized just how close I was to him. He looked up from the floor as I stared down at him with a sneer, the National Champion scurrying to his feet before puffing out his chest and plastering a smirk on his face. It might have worked to throw me off my game if I didn't have at least a foot on him (far more if you got rid of his puffed up hair).

"Hehe… if you are… well… here for an autograph-"

"We need to talk," I said coldly.

"I'm afraid that I am in the middle of something," Weevil stated. "But maybe-"

"Anyone mind if I borrow Mr. Underwood for a moment?" I called out, the entire room quickly shaking their heads. I clapped my hand down on his shoulder and squeezed just hard enough to make it clear to him that it would be wise to just go along and not fight me on this. I paused only to snatch a hand towel that someone had left lying out before half shoving-half guiding Weevil out the door, the little vermin trying to walk with a cocky swagger when it was clear he was really trying to keep his legs crossed so he didn't wet himself. I purposely walked a bit further than I needed to for some privacy, as it gave me a chance to calm down so I didn't let my anger get me to act too rashly and also because it added to the fear. I'd done plenty of these walks, where I had to grab someone and bring them to an office or conference room so we could chat, and how you handled that walk would set the entire tone. Need to deliver bad news but wanted them to be calm? Be very friendly and talkative, asking them about their day. Wanted them to be worried and understand that now wasn't the time to screw around? Take the long way and be utterly silent. Thus I pushed Weevil down several halfways, making our walk through the deserted section of the ship last as long as I could before I finally let him go.

"What is the meaning of this? Do you have any-" Weevil began to complain as he turned to face me. He went quiet though… mostly because I slammed him against the wall with my left arm and then shoved the balled up towel I'd grabbed against his mouth.

"Is it sad that you've screwed over so many people that you have no idea why I might be mad? Because I think it's sad." I leaned forward, letting the weight of my larger frame do all the work in keeping the green-coated sack of crap firmly in place. "Don't worry, I'm going to clue you in real quick. But first a few tidbits. There is no one around to hear you scream so don't even think of wasting my time crying for help. Second, this towel is to keep you from raising your shrill voice and making my tinnitus even worse. So if you raise your voice above casual conversation levels I will gag you. Third, I suggest you think long and hard about making me even more pissed off because all I need to do is shift my arm up a bit and cover your nose and the next thing you'll be seeing is little men in red pajamas with pitchforks ask if you'd like the top or bottom bunk in your room with Hitler. Do I make myself clear?"

Luckily Weevil had no idea that my upbringing wouldn't let me get even close to doing serious harm to him, let alone killing him. I preferred to use my mouth to deal with problems, not my fists.

"Now then…" I said, lowering the towel so Weevil could breathe through his mouth while still keeping my arm firmly against his chest, "we need to talk about what I saw you do."

"What… what might that be?" Weevil said with a weak chuckle. "Is it a crime to tell stories?"

"Let me refresh your memory." My made my voice as nasally as possible. "Say goodbye to Exodia!"

Weevil paled at that before shaking his head, a vicious smile forming on his lips. "So what? I took advantage of some naïve fool who shouldn't even been on this ship. That's part of the game, you know. Get every advantage you can, be it during the duel or before. Mental warfare and all that. Just look at that naïve child… for all I knew he was trying to figure out my own strategies so he could take me out. Instead I turned the tables on him and eliminated a threat! You should be thanking me… with Exodia gone we all stand a better chance!"

"Hmmm, you're right," I said blandly before narrowing my eyes. "So it would be a real good advantage to toss the National Champion overboard right now." I pulled my arm away only to grab the lapels of his jacket. I wasn't strong enough to actually lift the brat in the air but I could at least drag him along. "You can swim, right? Maybe if you paddle really hard-"

"Wait, wait!" Weevil cried out, realizing that my warning about not pissing me off hadn't been idle chit chat.

"Ever of the Indianapolis? Of all the men that went into the water… and the sharks that ensured not that many came back out?"

"You… you can't do this!"

"I think I can," I said with a cocky smirk. "Might be hard getting you over the railing what with it being taller than you but-"

"You'll be caught!" Weevil exclaimed.

I snorted. "All alone on a deserted ship deck, remember? Accidents happened. Oh no, Weevil disappeared? Well… I will duel in his honor!" I sniffed away fake tears. Again, I had no plans of tossing the little bastard into the sea but even if I did I wasn't too concerned. This was a world where Pegasus kidnapped a child and nothing happened to him (and the eye popping thing doesn't count, Bakura would have done that anyway). A world where Marik could rob a museum and nothing happened to him. A world where Siegfried did… something, I couldn't remember what he did, to be honest… and as far as I remembered nothing happened to him. I honestly couldn't remember when there had been a cop on the show. The only time we'd seen a prison was 5ds and that was some 'The 100'/'Hunger Games'/2010s Young Adult Post Apocalypse bullshit. On that boat I wasn't concerned.

"People will know!" Weevil whimpered, all his bluster gone as I continued to haul him towards the deck. "They saw you leave with me!"

"And when I tell them what you did, about how you stole cards from another duelist and tossed them overboard… and get them to wonder what you might have done to them… well, I am willing to bet I'll get some alibis REAL fast." I clicked my tongue several times. "Now would you prefer me to sing Under the Sea or Anchors Away before I drop you?"

"Why… why do you care?" Weevil demanded, finally dragging his heels and trying to wrench my hands from his person. Anyone else might have caused some damage but apparently Weevil had the strength of a turnip. "It's just some fool-"

"Because someone has to," I said darkly, thinking of all the poor people, the little guys on both sides of the battle against good and evil in this world that got stepped on. Yeah, it was Yugi this time and he was able to get a measure of vengeance but after that? The kid who got kicked off the island because of Mokuba. The innocents who lost to the Rare Hunters and had their cards taken away and unlike Joey never got them back. There were plenty who got dealt a shitty hand but never got Yugi Moto to save the day for them. Seeing Weevil's smug little face… well, it made all that injustice burn my soul. And light the fuse on my rage.

"But it doesn't even affect you! Why… wait… wait!" Weevil suddenly grinned but it wasn't his cocky grin anymore. No, he had begun to wear a small one, a desperate one, a smile that spoke of fear but also a glimmer of hope. The moment I saw it I decided to pause and see where this was going. "There must be… some way for me to make it up to you. Something I might… give you… to make you look the other way."

I puckered my lips and raised an eyebrow. A bribe. I hadn't considered that. I'd never taken one before. I'd been given stuff after helping out, been offered favors, but never a bribe. It was… intriguing. I wasn't going to actually do any damage to Weevil, I had planned to just scare him a bit before letting him go with a warning. But getting something in return, a payment for penance… well that was a new turn and I decided to see what he might offer.

When he realized I'd stopped pulling him along Weevil quickly began to barter. "I have information about the tournament. Something to help you out against everyone else-"

"The field advantage," I said, cutting him off. "Grasslands power up beasts and such, forests the same for bugs. The sea for water monsters." Weevil deflated at that. I released him but made sure to stand so that he had no way of running past me and back to safety. "Gonna need more than that."

As Weevil blathered on though I tuned him out and actually considered what he could give me. Nothing from his deck… there was nothing in it that would work with Endymion that I could think of. Not his stupid moth and even if he had the Insect Queen I'd never use it. I wouldn't hand over Star Chips and I couldn't risk asking for them anyway because Yugi would be winning those soon enough. Weevil didn't have any money on him which was a shame because I would have enjoyed making a few yen off of him (and I was already planning on finding a way to make some cash on this trip… nothing in the rules about extra betting, after all, what with Yugi putting up his deck to get Weevil's second Star Chip, along with a few other ideas I had for trades and such) so that was off the table. As he continued to ramble on about different tips and such he could give me I honestly fought off a yawn, the high I had gained from my adrenaline rush fading away and leaving me wanting to head back to my room once this was done-

I blinked as it suddenly hit me what Weevil had.

"You're room key," I said, cutting him off.

"Wha-what?" Weevil stammered.

"The two finalists for the National Championship got private rooms on this ship. I want your room key."

The runt swallowed at that. "Well… I kind of like my room… I already put my stuff in there-"

"I'll leave it by the door. Room key."

"Now… maybe we can work something out-"

"You don't know how bribes work, do you?" I asked dryly.

"-what about a duel? Hmmm? You win you get my room key and maybe something else? I have some rare cards I won. You lose and you let me go?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck. "We could do it right-"

"No."

Weevil blinked at that, having already begun to shuffle his cards. "But… but I-"

"I said no," I repeated. "Do you know why? Because that would mean that I respect you, Weevil. That I think of you as someone I'd like to challenge. And I don't. You make up for the fact that you are so short by having a large personality but the thing is that no matter how big you try to puff yourself up to be you are Just. So. Small." I poked him in the chest with each word. "I'm going to duel a lot of people on Duelist Kingdom, Weevil. And I'm going to duel a lot of people after it. But you? I'll never duel you. Because that would be me giving you a measure of respect and I REFUSE to give you what you wish." I held out my hand. "Now… room key or the water. Your pick."

Shaken but angered by my dismissal Weevil pulled out his roomkey and threw it at my chest, the card bouncing off and falling to the group. "We'll see about that… I'll win Duelist Kingdom and then I'll make sure with my new title to keep you from ever playing this game again!"

"Blah blah blah boring me now." I said, lazily pointing back to the common room. "I'll leave your junk outside the door in an hour. Go entertain the dull masses, would ya?" I waited until he was a few steps away before saying. "And Weevil? I know about the Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth. I also know that Rex has a Red-Eyes Black Dragon that he didn't have when he took you on." That made the little bastard freeze. "I have sources, Weevil." Deciding to steal from Lord Varys I added, "Little birds that sing sweet songs to me. If you even think of bringing up what we said here or talk crap about me to the other contestants… well, Duelist Kingdom is a big island. And I know how to bury bodies deep."

I waited until Weevil was long gone (as I didn't trust the rodent not to try and kick me when I bent down to grab the room key) before retrieving my bribe and making my way back to where I had left Yugi and his friends, my only detour being where the buffet was set up and snagging some junk food. Thankfully none of them had left the spot where Mako had dragged Joey's wet form to, with the only difference being from when I last saw them the towels they had wrapped around them and the lack of a certain Water-themed duelist.

"Oh, there you are!" Tea said, standing up and hurrying over to me before giving a polite bow. "Thank you so much for helping Yugi and Joey!"

"Ya, thanks for that man," Joey said, a towel draped over his head.

Tristan scoffed. "Thanks for helping my idiot friend who thought it was a good idea to dive into a cold ocean!"

"Hey, I was tryin' ta save Yugi's cards!"

"By nearly getting yourself killed?" Tristan shot back.

"Why you-" 

"Guys, it's alright!" Yugi said with a smile, holding out his hands and motioning for the two to stop. He looked over at me and chuckled. "Sorry, you get used to Joey and Tristan. OH! I'm sorry… we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Yugi Moto. This is Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor and Tea Garner."

"Edwin Chaos," I replied before looking around. "Where did Mako go?" 

"He said we'd be fine and he wanted to go stake out a spot to sleep on deck. Something about his late night swim being very relaxing," Tristan stated with a scoff.

"Yeah, that sounds like the freaky fish guy," I said drolly. I looked down at the snacks cradled in my arms. "Sorry it took me so long… had to take care of some things but I come bearing snacks-CRAP!" I stumbled back as Joey and Tristan damn well tackled me in their rush to get the food, tearing open bags of cookies and chips and gobbling them down.

"You guys!" Tea scolded, her hands on her hips. "That wasn't nice at all! Edwin is helping us…"

"Sorry man!" Joey said with his mouth full. "Just hungry, you know?"

"I get it, don't worry." I rubbed my bruised tailbone before looking up at the four. "So… I've heard of you, Yugi, but I haven't heard of you three…"

Tristan, embarrassed, stopped eating and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh! Well… we aren't exactly duelists… but we totally belong on the ship. Completely. Utterly."

"You snuck on, didn't you?" I asked with half-lidded eyes. "That's why you didn't want me to grab the captain."

"…yeah," Tea answered, head bowed as she let out a little sigh.

I held up my hands. "Hey, I'm only here because my uncle broke his leg. I'm not here to judge." Looking at them I decided to lead the conversation right where I needed it to go. "That said, I'm assuming you three want to avoid being seen?"

"Well, Joey already was given permission to be on board," Yugi admitted. He dropped his voice a little. "I gave him one of my Star Chips." I merely made the motion of zipping my mouth shut. "But even I wasn't expecting Tristan and Tea to stowaway so I don't know what they'll do."

Tea nodded. "We're going to have to sleep out here… thanks for the towels by the way. We'll keep a lot warmer with them."

"Hmmm… about that." I looked at the four and smirked before reaching into my pocket. "See, I was mostly delayed because I decided to have a little talk with our dear friend Weevil. As the oldest duelist on this boat, as far as I can tell, that makes me the elder statesmen and thus it is my duty to educate the younger generation how to behave… and punish naughty children who get out of line." I mentally hoped that didn't sound as creepily sexual as it did in my head, especially since Pegasus had made Duelist Kingdom a real sausagefest with only Mai to represent female kind. "It occurred to me that since Weevil cost you Exodia he needed to pay a penalty." 

"You didn't take his cards, did you?" Yugi asked, concerned. "Because I don't want Weevil dealt with like that."

"Speak for yourself, Yug!" Joey said with a snort. "I think that toad deserves a bit of punishment."

"Mixing your metaphors, Joey. Weevil is a bug, not a toad," Tristan pointed out.

I merely waved them off. "I have no interest in giving Weevil any excuse when he is booted off of Duelist Kingdom the first day. No, I wanted something to make his life uncomfortable." I drew out the card. "Did you know that there are private rooms for a select few? Rex got one for making it to the finals, my uncle got one for the press… and Weevil got one. And I'm pretty sure it connects to my room." I wiggled the card a bit. "So you four can freeze out here…" 

"I don't know," Yugi began only for Tea to instantly leap in front of me.

"Heehee… he means yes, we will absolutely take you up on your kind and generous offer." She turned around and did that cartoon anime thing where a character's proportions would get bigger and the details more simple. It was rather offputting to see it happen to a person. She glared at Yugi and said fiercely, "Right?"

Yugi weakly laughed, eyes shut and a blush on his cheeks. "Right… that's what I meant to say."

About 30 minutes later we were all settled. Weevil's room did connect to mine so the first order of business was getting Yugi and Joey warmed up after their dip in the Pacific. Joey used Weevil's shower while Yugi used mine, their clothing left out to dry and fluffy white bathrobes provided for both. Tristan happily sat on the couch channel surfing while Tea, after first claiming the bathroom to, ahem, take care of business, began figuring out sleeping arrangement. For my part I went two more times to stock up on food (both the junk food variety and some sandwiches) knowing that I was bedding down with teenagers and even Tea would want plenty of things to munch on. The end result was me sitting on the couch reading Jurassic Park while the teens happily gorged themselves, my headphones giving me some relaxing music to listen to.

"Man, I am stuffed!" Joey exclaimed, leaning back against the couch. He'd decided to sit on the floor, a mini mountain of wrappers surrounding him. "Thanks again, Ed!"

I quirked my eyebrow at Joey's new nickname for me but chose to instead merely smile, marking my place in my book and popping my earbuds out. "Not a problem. Just glad I could help."

"I'll say," Tea said, sitting across from me as she finished nibbling on her sandwich. "I was not looking forward to waiting for the sun to rise."

"Meh, I don't see what the big deal is!" Joey opened up a bag of chips and, to my utter confusion at the physics of it all, he was able to dump all of it into his mouth without a problem. "Me, I could've handled it just find."

"Yeah right," Tea retorted. "If you had slept out there with us you would have been shivering and caught a cold." I rubbed my hand against my jaw to hide my smile, amused at just how right Tea was.

"Hey! So what if I had? I was tryin' ta help Yug!" The teen instantly became rather melancholy , staring down at the floor as he idly traced his finger along the carpet. "I'm sorry I couldn't get all your cards back, man."

Yugi, who was sitting on the bed with his puzzle box out, going over his deck and making changes, just smiled. "Don't worry about it Joey. It wasn't your fault."

"Yeah," Tristan said darkly, sitting next to me on the couch, flipping through my copy of The Lost World (apparently Tristan enjoyed reading novels and while the other three had been discussing trivial things he and I had struck up a conversation about our favorite books). "It's that little runt Weevil's fault. Someone needs to give him a good thrashing in this tournament."

Joey though wasn't brought out of his dour mood. "Still, it's gonna really hurt ya when ya have ta face Pegasus, Yug! How are ya supposed to save your grandpa's soul- Erk!" Joey froze, looking over at him and grimacing. "Uh… what I mean-"

"When he says soul-" Tea began.

I shrugged, going back to my book. "He means Pegasus stole Yugi's grandpa's soul."

The four of them were silent.

'3…2..1…'

The four teens began to blast me with questions and I grimaced, wondering if I'd have any hearing left before the end of Duelist Kingdom. I calmly marked my page before waiting for them to calm down. After several moments they realized I wasn't going to say a word and they quieted down, looking at me expectantly.

"Believe it or not there are a few people who have actually been paying attention, kids," I finally stated. "There are… rumors concerning Pegasus." The comment 'and his love of The Village People' hung on my tongue but I swallowed that up. "Whispers of magic and the like."

"And you believe them?" Tristan asked.

"There are far more wonders in heaven and earth than are dreamed in your mind," I said, butchering some quote.

Joey shook his head. "Man, I was there when it happened and I still have a hard time acceptin' it and you just take it as fact, Ed." Joey once more looked over at Yugi. "And that makes me feel even worse. I mean, what if your grandpa isn't the only person Pegasus has messed with? You might be the best hope for a ton of people and I ruined it for you."

"It's alright, Joey," Yugi said with a soft smile. "Yes, Exodia is a powerful tool in my grandpa's deck but it isn't the only one. A good duelist doesn't just rely on a single card or a single strategy. They build a deck that can win multiple ways, to give them options so they can tackle any foe. I might have lost Exodia but I still have ways to beat Pegasus."

I stood up and walked over to my suitcase. "And I might be able to help with that." Finding the special lockbox I'd gotten the day before I opened it up and asked, "I heard rumor that you like using the Dark Magician, Yugi. Is that true?"

"It is," Yugi said with a grin. "He's my favorite card."

"Your ace card."

Joey's face screwed up in confusion. "What do ya mean, 'ace card'?"

"A lot of duelists have one card that is considered their ace card," I explained, finding only a touch odd to be lecturing a character from the show about the game. "Yugi was right that you need to have a lot of different cards and strategies in order to win but many times a duelist with have one card that is not only their favorite but one they build the most strategies around. Look at Seto Kaiba. He has the Blue Eyes."

"Don't remind us," Tea groused in annoyance. "That jerk ripped up Mr. Moto's Blue Eyes because he couldn't buy it."

"Seto is a Richard Nixon," I said, rather pleased with myself; I'd chosen to censor myself that time. "Yugi uses the Dark Magician as his ace card." Popping open my deck box I pulled out Endymion. "I can get that… I'm partial to magicians myself."

Yugi's eyes widened. "Wow… I've heard of Endymion! He supposed to be really strong."

"He is," I said, mentally adding 'And will be stronger when I track down the other Endymion cards… stupid world not having structures'. "Anyway, I went looking for a few more cards to boost my deck yesterday and I came upon one that I thought might work well for me… but I'm thinking she would work better in your deck." With a flourish I pulled out the card in question.

"The Dark Magician GIRL?!" the four of them said as one, my smile all the bigger mostly because I so did love getting tropes to play out in front of me.

"That's right. And I think this would be a wonderful card for Yugi to have in his deck."

"It would," Yugi said eagerly. "I didn't even know there was a Dark Magician Girl… and her effect works perfectly with the Dark Magician." He paused, looking up at me with a shrewd look. "But I'm guessing you aren't just going to give her to me for free." 

"I'm nice but not that nice. No, I'm thinking we can help each other out. I'll give you the Dark Magician Girl… and you give me the two pieces of Exodia that Joey managed to save."

Yugi considered that for a moment but before he could speak Joey, being the annoying little twit that he was, decided to speak up. "Hold up now, how is that fair? Yugi has to give you two cards for your one? That's just crummy math."

"Use your head man!" Tristan complained. "The Dark Magician Girl has more value to Yugi than one card!"

"What are ya talkin' about? Exodia is way more powerful."

Tea shook her head. "But only when one has all five pieces, Joey. Without the other ones those cards aren't that good."

"Look, I said I was sorry-" Joey began as I fought the urge to hold my head in my hands.

Yugi chose that moment to speak up. "It's okay Joey. It's actually a really good trade. Right now the Exodia pieces don't do much for me. The Dark Magician Girl will do more for my deck then both of those cards combined. So it helps me out a ton."

Joey considered that, scratching his chin before pointing at me. "Alright, then what do you get out of this? You runnin' Exodia too? If so why not trade Yugi your Exodia cards? Not like your gonna win the tournament or anything."

"JOEY!" Tea shouted, standing up and making the blond teen topple backwards. "That is very rude! Edwin could win Duelist Kingdom, you don't know!"

Quickly getting back up Joey scrambled to his feet. "What, and you're sayin' Yug and I don't have a chance?"

"No but I'm not going to say that Edwin doesn't!"

"They are always like this," Tristan whispered to me.

"I got that feeling," I muttered before loudly clapping my hands together. "Guys! Focus?" Tea and Joey quickly sat down, blushing at being wrapped up in their fight. "No, I don't have any other pieces of Exodia. I want them for a long term investment."

"What do ya mean?"

"My deck is all set, other than some minor tweaking. I don't really need any new cards for it. But the Exodia cards are worth something… I can take the cards and sell them when this is all done and use the money to buy new cards to improve my deck."

"Wha?" Joey exclaimed, utterly baffled. "Sell Exodia… but…"

Yugi shook his head. "It makes sense, Joey. You just can't stick random cards in your deck that don't fit your strategy." I fought a snort; if only Yugi knew that until the whole Atlantis thing that would be Joey's entire shtick. Seriously, Fortress Whale?

Joey though shook his head. "Nah, I got a better idea." He looked over at me and grinned and I had a feeling that whatever happened next would not end well for anyone. "What say you and me have a little duel right here. If I win you give Yugi the Dark Magician Girl and if you win you get the trade."

"Considering Yugi's already going to trade with me… why in the blue hfil would I ever go with that gamble?"

"Cause… cause I challenged you to a duel! Ya have ta accept!"

"Not really no," I said, the right side of my face scrunching in confusion.

"Oh, ya want to sweetin' the pot, do ya? Fine… if you win not only will Yug give ya the Exodia cards but I'll throw in an amazing card from my deck! And if I win-"

"No," I said firmly. "If I win the trade goes as planned. If you win then Yugi trades me one of his Exodia pieces for the Dark Magician Girl and I can try and work out another trade for the other one."

"What, afraid ta lose everything?" Joey taunted. "I promise ta go easy on ya!"

"No, I don't gamble needlessly," I informed him, pulling out my deck, ignoring Tea and Tristan's mutters about how Joey was letting his mouth cash checks he couldn't actually pay. "That is my final offer."

"Alright then, let's do this! Yug, ya can thank me later." Yugi merely smiled weakly and ducked his head. Joey shuffled his cards while Tristan cleared off the table that sat between the two couches, that being the best place for our little duel while Tea grabbed a pad of paper and acted as score keeper. "Alright, I'll let ya go first."

I nodded and looked over my cards. I was in a tricking spot and not because I feared Joey suddenly becoming an amazing duelist without a lick of practice. The reverse was actually the issue, as Joey right now was so bad that I was pretty sure I could destroy him within a few moves. The problem was that if I did that I might crush all in confidence and that would affect his ability to battle Mai and later Rex. Those had been hard matches for him but they had been important, with the first truly teaching him how to strategize and the second winning him Red Eyes Black Dragon, his ace card during Duelist Kingdom and Wake the Dragons. I wanted to win, as there was no way I'd live down being beaten by someone who until 3 hours ago hadn't ever put a spell card in his deck, but I couldn't destroy him. I had to play a solid match that gave me the victory without overpowering him.

"I set this card in defense mode and end my turn," I stated.

Joey grinned as he looked over his cards. "Ya can't win if ya ain't darin', Ed. Let me show ya how a real master duels."

"Oh boy," Tea muttered and I was inclined to agree with her.

"I summon Garoozis and have it attack your downface card!" I flipped the card over and Joey cheered as I revealed my Witch of the Black Forest. "Yeah, say goodbye to 600 of your lifepoints!"

"Uh, Joey?" Tea said. "He doesn't lose any lifepoints if you destroy a monster in defense mode."

"…I knew that! I meant next turn! Next turn say goodbye to your lifepoints! Yeah!"

"Right," I said, grabbing my deck and thumbing through it.

"Hey, what do ya think your doin?!" Joey demanded, trying to reach over the table and snatch my cards out of my hand. "You can't go just pickin' whatever card you want to draw next! How'd you end up in Duelist Kingdom not knowin' how to play?"

"Look who's talking," Tristan quipped.

I took several calming breaths before answering, as it was either that or choking him out until Joey stopped making noise. "My Witch of the Black Forest, which you just destroyed, has an effect that only activates when she is destroyed. It allows me to select one monster card from my deck with 1500 defense points or fewer and add it to my hand."

"…oh," Joey said, rubbing the back of his head as he leaned back away from me. "Sorry about that, Ed."

"No problem," I said dryly as I drew my next card. 'Dear Lord this boy needs an education and quick. Even if I don't meddle with the timeline he'll lose at this point.' Looking at what I'd just drawn I nodded to myself. "I will set another monster in defense mode and end my turn."

"What, that's it? Ya know ya have to do something eventually if you hope to take down my lifepoints!"

"Be careful Joey," Yugi warned, the Pharaoh clearly deciding that this little match didn't need him to take hold the steering wheel. "You have no idea what he might have under there."

"Eh, just another monster for Garoozis to take down! Garoozis, attack!" I couldn't help but smirk as I flipped it to reveal Defender the Magical Knight. "Oh man!"

"Sometimes people play defense monsters because they are trying to just protect their lifepoints. Other times they know a monster is stronger defending then attacking." Tea held up the paper to show the Lifepoints (Joey-1800/Edwin-2000). "Now then, I believe it is my turn. Draw." I looked over my cards and nodded to myself. "I summon Crusader of Endymion in attack mode and attack Garoozis."

"Oh!" Yugi exclaimed as Tea updated the lifepoints (Joey-1700/Edwin-2000). "I didn't know there were other Endymion cards!"

"There are a couple," I stated. I'd looked into it and unfortunately there were no versions yet of most of the second Endymion Structure Deck cards. I didn't know if that was because of Pendulums never being in the first series or if it was just that they hadn't produced the cards yet but would later. During Battle City it seemed like Pegasus had ordered a TON of new cards created and I was hoping that this world would either add Pendulum Monsters OR find a way to alter them enough to include them in my Battle City deck. "Like the Dark Magician has his student so too does Endymion have his warriors and guards."

"Doesn't matter how many cards Andymon has-"

"Endymion," I told Joey.

"-because it isn't staying on the field for long! I summon Rude Kaiser and then play a new spell card I picked up in the common room: Shield and Sword! This card changes the attack and defense points of all our monsters, turning your Crusader from a 1900 attacker into a 1200 attack…less… er! Yup, that! And yeah, my Rude Kaiser also drops down a bit but he only goes to 1600, more than enough to take out that Crusader! YEAH!" Joey pumped his fist as Tea lowered my lifepoints (Joey-1700/Edwin-1600). "I'm back in the lead. Now take that Crusader off the board."

I shook my head though. "I think he'll stay, he likes it there."

"Uh, Ed? Ya can't just keep your monsters on the field just because ya want them to stay there-"

"I activate Defender's special ability." 

"Aw man, I don't like the sound of that," Joey said, instantly deflating.

"When Defender was summoned to the field he got what was known as a Spell Counter on him. I can now remove that spell counter to keep my Crusader from being destroyed. I still take that damage but he remains… and now that your Shield and Sword spell has worn off he is back to 1900."

"Oh man, and Rude Kaiser is stuck in attack mode!"

"Don't worry, Joey," Yugi pointed out, trying to comfort his friend. "You'll only end up losing 100 attack points."

"Think again," I said, drawing out the words. "Crusader is a special monster… normally he doesn't have an effect but if I forgo summoning another monster to the field I can give him a new effect, which I do so now: Once per turn I can replace a Spell Counter, like the one Defender used to protect Crusader, and when I do so Crusader's attack increases from 1900 to 2500."

"Oh man!" Joey moaned as I declared my attack. "This is bad!" (Joey-1000/Edwin 1600)

Tristan grimaced. "Geez, you're in real trouble Joey. Even if you manage to get a monster out that can destroy Crusader Edwin can just protect him with Defender and then not only return the Spell Counter onto Defender but that just pumps up Crusader back to 2500!"

"Yeah, I get that!" Joey barked before staring glumly at his hand.

"Don't give up yet, Joey!" Yugi encouraged. "You got some great spell and trap cards… you just need to find the right combination!"

"You're right, Yug! I can do this!"

"Go get'em, Joey!" Tea cheered.

"Take him out!" Tristan added.

"I'm trying not to take this personally at all, guys," I said with a glower, Tea and Tristan instantly blushing and Yugi rubbing the back of his head modestly.

"Uh… sorry about that," Yugi told me. I merely chuckled and motioned for Joey to draw.

"Hmmm… oh, okay this will work real good!" Joey began to giggle to himself. "Oh man, if you knew what I drew." Apparently Joey had never heard of a poker face and it was painful to watch him cackling in delight. "Alright, I am going to summon Axe Raider in attack mode and set this card, ending my turn. Come at me Ed!"

"Well," I said with bored sarcasm, "I wonder if you've set a trap." I drew my next card and paused. 'I can win the game now. Utterly defeat him… but honestly I think it would be better for Joey to get his little ploy off so that he can get some more confidence in his dueling.' I looked up. 'Wait, am I doing that inner monologue thing they always do on the show? I am… huh. Neat.' Shaking myself out of my thoughts I turned back to the game. "Well, I don't think I need to be too worried about what you have set up… so Crusader, attack-"

"Not so fast!" Joey said, flipping his trap. "Kunai with Chain! I can equip it to my Axe Raider and increase his attack points to 2200! And since your Defender can only have one Spell Counter that means you can't boost Crusader up!" (Joey-1000/Edwin 1300)

"I use the Spell Counter that is there to save my Crusader from destruction. So he remains on the field. Good job, Joey."

"Way to go man!" Tristian cheer.

"Great work!" Tea added

Yugi nodded. "I told you that you could do it. You just need the right mix of spells and traps."

Joey nodded. "Thanks guys. And yeah, I think I get that now." Joey drew his next card and burst into an even bigger grin. "Oh man! With this I can lock up the win! First I summon the Flame Swordsman and then I equip Salamandra to him! This burning sword increases my Flame Swordsman's attack by 700, meaning he is now as strong as your Crusader could get!"

"That's the way, Joey!" Tea cheered.

Drunk on victory Joey jabbed his finger at me… which considering how close we were meant I could have bitten the digit off. "So I'll attack with both my monsters, Axe Raider taking out Defender and Flame Swordsman taking out Crusader, leaving you with nothing!" Tea rapidly began to do the math on the notepad while Tristan shook Joey so hard his teeth rattled. (Joey-1000/Edwin 700) "Don't feel bad Ed, ya nearly had me. But I'm gonna be one of the best duelists in the world and ya have to be quick to keep up with me."

"I guess so," I said, laying down the spell I'd drawn last turn. "Tremendous Fire. I win."

"…wait, what?" Joey stared at me dumbly, Tristan froze, Tea's face fell and Yugi leaned back on the bed.

"Tremendous Fire. It does 1000 direct damage to your lifepoints and 500 to mine." Tea weakly scribbled the final score out but before she could hold it out Joey snatched it from her. (Joey-0/Edwin 200) "Good duel though."

"No… no, that can't be right! I still have monsters on the field-"

"But no lifepoints," I pointed out.

Joey frowned. "Let me just check the math here!" he began to mutter to himself. "Carry the 3… divide by 7… Aw man!" Joey exclaimed, falling off the couch with a bang.

"Cheer up, Joey, you did really good!" Yugi said, trying to boost his friend's moral. "Edwin… just got the better of you."

"He creamed me… with one card he took half my lifepoints and stole the win."

I stood up, my face cold as stone. "I didn't 'steal the win', Joey. I won fair and square. In a duel that we didn't even have to play because Yugi was fine with a trade I wanted to make. A duel that, had I not been nice could have cost you a rare card because you almost cashed a check you couldn't pay." I walked over to the mourning teen and squatted down. "In this game victory can come just as quickly as defeat. You never know what card your deck if going to give you… or your opponent. But unless they are acting like Weevil you never claim they 'stole a victory'. They won it fair and square and you show that you honor them and their skill by being a graceful loser." I held out my hand. "Just like winners show they are honorable by being a graceful winner."

Joey, after a long moment, accepted my help in pulling him to his feet. "Sorry about that man… I shouldn't have said that. And you did real well. Guess I have a lot to learn."

"Admitting that is your first step." I paused, looking at Joey before nodding. "I changed my mind. I want to alter the trade. In addition to the Dark Magician Girl I'll give Yugi AND you something."

"What do you want to give us?" Yugi asked.

I held my arms out. "This boat is full of people that will be challenging us and trying to kick us off the island. I think it's time we Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast them all." I grinned wide and proud. "I want to form an alliance."

"An alliance?" Yugi asked.

"Yes. The three of us agree that we don't challenge each other unless we have no choice. Like we are forced to by Pegasus. We see each other on the island and we say hello, ask how things are, and leave it at that. If we find out information we share it and if one of us runs into trouble we can run to the other two. We don't try and hurt one another… we focus on everyone else. I'm not saying we have to stick with each other… but if tomorrow night we meet up then we share a camp and swap stories. I won't challenge you, you don't challenge me. We make it that the three of us are the Top Three Duelists at the end of this and all that needs to be sorted out is who is one, who is two, and who is three."

"That sounds great!" Tea exclaimed. "Joey, Yugi, you two weren't going to challenge each other anyway so this is just adding Edwin to the mix." 

"Yeah, and with how good he is it would be great to have a third duelist working with us," Tristan added.

Yugi paused and I quickly realized he was thinking it out and, most likely though he probably hadn't realized it yet since the divide between him and his other half wasn't so definitive yet, hearing out the Pharaoh. Finally Yugi came back to us and nodded, pulling out the two Exodia cards and handing them to me. "I think that's a good idea." 

"Me too!" Joey exclaimed. "The three of us can burst onto Duelist Kingdom and win the whole thing!"

"Then here is to the Alliance," I said, passing over the Dark Magician Girl and sealing the deal.

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: Do expect updates this quick from now on. It's only because I want to get you guys invested before it falls into my normal pattern, especially since one of Chaos Effect equals two chapters of everything else.

And thus we have myself/Edwin meeting up with the main cast and even getting to duel Joey. Of course this is 'I don't even understand how this game works' Joey so me beating him isn't that impressive at all. And don't worry, all my victories won't come from burn damage cards.

One of the hard things with this "Season" is that, thanks to Duelist Kingdom and how decks were built then I can't use the deck that I really want to be using: my Endymion deck. I do have plans to allow for Pendulum cards to appear once we hit Battle City but for this first part I was just pushing it with the Gemini effect.

Bringing in the likes of Mako for this story allows me to begin showing off a running theme that this series will have: making connections with others. Yugi would run into recurring duelists, sure, but really it was always a different opponent unless you were Mai. There is a massive cast in Yu-Gi-Oh! and I am not going to restrict myself to just the gang.

We also see that my need to make money flares up here. While I hate to gamble I do enjoy trades and making deals… figuring out a way that everyone is happy and gets what they want. The Exodia pieces Edwin just nabbed are merely the first step… there are going to be PLENTY of chances for me to earn cards I can turn into cash as well as make trades for favors and other things.

Finally I wanted to establish here that while Yugi and Co will be working with Edwin he isn't a member of their group. He is an ally… and choosing to use the Survivor motto wasn't by accident. Sometimes alliances work… and sometimes you have to shatter them at the right moment.

As I warned with the description… this isn't me replacing Yugi as the lead or becoming his new best friend. This is what happens when you take a habitiual liar and schemer and put them in a world ripe for plotting and plans. And that doesn't always mean you get a white knight.


	3. Duelist Kingdom Part 1- Into the Storm

"How are you so wide awake?" Tea complained as I stood near the bow of the ship (not near the railing as I did not need my fear of heights to kick in) with a grin on my face. I had one of those packaged muffins you see at hotel self-serve breakfasts in one hand and a cup of orange juice in the other, watching as Pegasus' island slowly grew bigger and bigger on the horizon. It was predawn and the cool air coming off the ocean was less chilly and more refreshing. I had taken my ball cap off and put it in my waiting suitcase, my hoodie covering much of my head so that Tea, who was yawning up a storm, had to dart around me and then crouch a bit in order to see more than my chin.

"I had a good night's sleep," I said simply. For the first time since arriving in this world I wasn't having to mix truth and fiction with my statement. It felt good to just be 100% honest, even about such a small thing.

"…how?" Tea complained. "Those boys… ugh… they kept me up half the night with their snoring and their grunting…" 

"I didn't hear a thing," I admitted. "I'm a famously deep sleeper. Once I am out I usually stay out until morning." Everyone both mocked me and were jealous of that ability. If I did things right I'd usually be asleep in about 5 minutes and would lay there until morning when I finally got restless. It was actually pretty creepy, from what I had been told; I slept on my back with my hands folded and on the rare times someone had needed to wake me up they said I looked like a corpse. It took a lot to wake me too and my family loved to remind me of that fact. Looking at Tea I stated, "There was this one time, when I was your age, when our family dog, Sammy, chased a raccoon to the back garage door and it tried to get in and scared my mom. She slammed the door on its arm and screamed bloody murder; both of them, mom and raccoon. My dad got up, my brother got up, and they had to drive around the house in his truck, shine the headlights on that screeching thing and blasted it with a shotgun blast." I chuckled and sipped my oj. "I never woke up. Right outside my window."

Tea made a face of disgust. "I could have gone a long time without hearing that story."

"I am far too used to hearing that," I stated. I'd had a bad feeling that Yugi and his friends wouldn't be peaceful sleepers so when it had gotten to around 10 pm I'd kicked them out of my room so I could change into my pajamas and told them to keep it down so I could get some sleep. The plan was for Tristan, Yugi, and Joey to take the couches and Tea Weevil's bed, with me getting rights to my own. I didn't care how they selected I just wanted some sleep. I'd drifted off with them whispering in hushed tones in the other room and awoken to find that things had apparently changed during the middle of the night. "Why were you on the couch in my room, by the way?" That had been startling to find her draped over the furniture.

"Joey wouldn't stop talking in his sleep. Running commentary about duels he wanted to win, girls he wanted to kiss, sandwiches he wanted to eat… then he began to mix them up, to girls he wanted to win, sandwiches he wanted to kiss, duels he would eat. I woke up Yugi and convinced him to switch with me, though I'm pretty sure he was awake to begin with. Focused on today."

"I don't blame him," I said. I had been nervous about today as well and I'd worried that it would keep me from falling asleep but luckily I'd been able to snap right into dreamland without any problem. Which was good because me and a lack of sleep resulted in a grump with an even worse control on his temper than normal. "Speaking of…" I said, glancing over my shoulder as Yugi walked up to us, rather bright and bushy tailed while Tristan and Joey were dragging their tired asses over to us. "Morning sunshine," I mocked.

"Grabaga…" Joey muttered.

"How are you tired?!" Tea complained, glaring at him. "You were the one keeping all of us up last night!"

"Hey, I was worried too! I hardly slept at all!" Joey complained.

"…you mean you were AWAKE and mumbling the entire time?" Tea snapped. "You kept everyone else up because you couldn't sleep?"

"I had to think things through!" 

"That must have been tough." 

"Yeah it… wait, was that an insult? It was!"

"How often are they like this?" I asked Yugi.

"More than you'd think," he commented. "Don't worry though, they do care for each other a lot. They are just like brother and sister, that's all."

I huffed. "My brother and I don't fight like that… or at all. That's just an excuse for people who don't know how to handle their anger." He turned away from the fight (which had gone to including Tristan now as a third party) and nodded towards the island. "You ready for this?"

"I have to be," Yugi said firmly, watching as the island grew closer. "If I want to save my grandpa I have to win Duelist Kingdom. I have to defeat Pegasus."

I clicked my teeth together several times. "He wants to duel you?"

"Yeah. I'm not exactly sure WHY he wants to defeat me but he does. And he is willing to do anything to see that happen."

"You personally or just have you defeated?" I had never been quite clear on Pegasus' motives for going after Yugi. I knew that he wanted the holotech from Kaiba to try and recreate Cecelia and that the Big 5 wanted Yugi defeated but Pegasus had already put a target on him. It was natural to just assume he wanted the Puzzle but that made no sense because I never remembered Yugi putting it on the line in a bet… maybe he had, it had been nearly a decade since I watched the show, but I didn't remember that. Just that Pegasus threatened to take Yugi's soul. I honestly didn't know if Pegasus even realized the true purpose of the puzzle. Of course considering that even most of the users of the Millennium Items didn't understand the purpose of their items…

"I honestly don't know," Yugi admitted. "I lost to him once but that was only because of a time limit… I don't think he considered that a true win for him."

"If I had to guess," I said, finishing off my muffin and stuffing the wrapper in my pocket, "I'd say he wants to defeat you himself on a grand public scale but he has no problems with other people taking you out. In his mind if someone else defeats you that is fine because he can just challenge them. But if he defeats you after you defeat everyone else…" I trailed off, not needing to fill in the blanks.

"That sounds about right." Yugi shook his head. "It doesn't matter though. I have to win."

After that we lapsed into silence.

~MC~MC~MC~

Maxamillion Pegasus sat in his favorite chair, swirling a glass of wine lazily as he watched the televisions that displayed hundreds of different spots on the island. Right now they were empty but soon enough they would be filled with eager youths battling it out in hopes of winning his tournament. Most times he would have found such a thing utterly exciting and would have spent weeks reviewing the footage so that he could see each duel, no matter how minor it might have been. He so did enjoy seeing people enjoy his game. The different strategies, the odd and wild combos, the reversals and the reversals of reversals… oh, it made his blood sing! To see what he had created being loved! Being pushed to its limits and beyond! To know that something he had crafted could stimulate the mind and the soul so!

Normally he'd enjoy that. And later on he would indulge himself. But now he only cared about one duelist and it would be him that he followed through the entire tournament.

Yugi Moto.

The boy had to lose. The Big Five had been clear on that… the only way the takeover of KaibaCorp would be finalized would be if the new owner was the top duelist in the world and that meant defeating the boy who had defeated Seto Kaiba. Or, should Yugi-boy fail to live up to expectations, defeat the one that defeated him. It wouldn't be as wonderful of a victory should that come to pass and Pegasus was oh so hoping the spikey-haired youth made it all the way to him… but if it meant getting what he needed he'd settle for some random child defeating Yugi-boy and then Pegasus swooping in the claim the victory.

"Mr. Pegasus." 

Turning his head Pegasus nodded to his butler, who was holding a think folder. "Ah, yes Croquet?"

"I have the information from the boat, sir."

Pegasus nodded. He hadn't been able to get cameras installed on the ship in time so he was forced to rely on second-hand accounts. Some from the staff… and a few from people he'd placed on the ship itself, posing as duelists. He wondered if anyone realized that he had placed an Eliminator in their midst, learning about the contestants and readying to take them out. The boy had been all too willing to do it… he had a vicious streak that even gave Pegasus pause at times-

"Yes, of course," Pegasus said with a slight smile. "What news do you have?"

"As was reported at the dock Yugi Moto has given up one of his two Star Chips to a Mr. Joseph Wheeler." Croquet pulled a sheet of paper. "From the original investigation into Mr. Moto, sir."

Pegasus didn't bother to look. "Troublemaker who turned his life around when he became friends with Yugi-boy. A rather poor duelist from a broken home, lives with his drunk of a father, observed losing to Tea Garner several times and not once playing a spell card. His sister is in the hospital and will go blind without surgery." Pegasus looked down at the ground. "Croquet, please look into the cost of her medical bills. Depending on Joey's performance here I might be willing to help." He reached up and touched where his own eye had once been. He knew all too well what the girl would be going through. He wasn't completely heartless. The tournament was about finally achieving his greatest desire but after that he would be willing to aid those that truly needed it. "Still, Yugi-boy shows his greatest weakness… he will blindly help others at the cost of himself. Still, if he is as good as I believe him to be I think he'll manage just fine even with the single Star Chip. What else?"

"It seems that Mr. Moto has suffered another setback. Weevil Underwood is reported to have thrown Mr. Moto's Exodia set overboard. Mr. Wheeler attempted to retrieve them but only got back two of the cards before he was rescued by Mr. Moto and Mako Tsunami."

Pegasus chuckled at that. "Oh, poor Yugi-boy. Too trusting as well, it seems. Still, perhaps it is for the best… I had come up with several ways to ensure Exodia remained sealed and now our duel will be at least a touch interesting. Make a note for me to alter my deck and remove the Exodia-Eliminating Cards I created from it." Pegasus' smile fell though as he considered HOW those cards were lost. "But as for Mr. Underwood… if he makes it to the castle I will have to deal with him myself. You know how I loathe cheats, Croquet."

"Indeed, Mr. Pegasus," the butler said before flipping through the pages. "We've also received word of three more stowaways on the ship: "Bandit" Keith Howard-"

"I shouldn't be surprised. I hear he was rather enraged to be excluded." Pegasus let out a huffing chuckle. "And how I… exposed him at the International Championship last year." He looked off to the side, mulling the new arrival before waving his hand dismissively. "Let him do as he wishes. Without Star Chips or a dueling glove he won't be able to do much. That is unless he tricks someone into giving up theirs and if that is the case it is their own fault."

"Yes, Mr. Pegasus. I will inform the staff. Now then, also spotted on board are Tea Gardner and Tristan Taylor-" Once more Pegasus waved off Croquet as he tried to hand him the personnel files their investigators had made on Yugi's friends.

"Tea Gardner, wishes to be a dancer and performer. Stable home life though she does feel overshadowed by her half sister from her father's first marriage, Yuri Gardner. A duelist only in the fact that she has a deck and has beaten Joey. Tristan Taylor, a promising member of the student government and son of Terence Taylor, owner of Taylor Furniture. A sense that his life has already been preplanned led him to befriending Joey Wheeler and later Yugi Moto. I am not even aware of him having a deck." He glanced back up at his butler. "I assume they came purely to cheer on Yugi-boy?"

"That is what our spies gathered, Mr. Pegasus sir."

"Then leave them be as well. I have no problem with them tagging along to see Yugi-boy's eventual defeat." Pegasus took a sip of his wine. "Is that all?"

"Not quite, sir. We have received word that Weevil Underwood was confronted by Edwin Chaos after he caused the loss of Mr. Moto's Exodia cards. According to statements from our Eliminator Mr. Underwood was marched out of the common room by the man and when he returned he'd been relieved of his room key, which was then given to Mr. Moto and his friends."

Pegasus frowned at that. "I'm not familiar with Edwin Chaos…"

"His uncle, Kipling Chaos, was invited to attend the tournament, sir."

"Ah yes, the media mogul. I wanted him here to report on Yugi-boy's loss so that the Big Five and I could finalize our plans. But why is his nephew here?"

The butler shuffled through his paperwork. "Apparently the elder Chaos broke his leg and sent his nephew in his stead. Edwin just got his degree in Communications and is working for the man."

"Hmmm, that sounds fine enough… but you say he inserted himself into Yugi-boy and Weevil's feud?"

Croquet nodded. "He did, sir. From all reports Mr. Chaos has made friends with Yugi and his group and Mr. Wheeler was overheard mentioning that they'd formed an alliance with the man."

"An alliance?" Pegasus tittered. "Oh, now that will make things interesting." He set down his wine class and steepled his fingers. "It seems there is a new player on the board, Croquet. But what is his purpose? To merely make new friends? To truly report on what is occurring here? To create a network of duelists in hopes of better their odds? Or something more…" Pegasus' smile fell as he considered just what this new wrinkle might mean for his plans before finally giving a slight shrug. "Have his duels flagged and if he shows any talent or interest I will watch them later." With that he stood up and ran his hands along his suit. "For now… I need to make my grand entrance and greet my adoring fans!"

~MC~MC~MC~

I looked at the red dueling glove in annoyance before pulling the dang thing off and stuffing it in my suitcase. There was no rule saying I had to wear it 24/7 and I had already gotten visions of me reaching up to scratch my nose and knocking my teeth out with the damn thing. 'Seriously Pegasus, why did you need a ring this bloody big?' I looked up at his castle and rolled my eyes. 'Of course, considering everything else here I guess it's clear you're compensating for something and it rhymes with 'biny fenis'.'

Pegasus had just gotten done giving his welcoming speech and now all the duelists were breaking up, using their hour to plan out what their first course of action would be. Some were hurrying to find the perfect spot to duel, to stake their claim and just sit there and let others wander to them. Others were looking through their decks one last time, making preparations. And finally there were those that were already partnering up, deciding who their first opponent would be. I for one was cooling my heels for a moment, watching the servants that were littered around Pegasus's castle to greet the competitors.

"Hey Ed!" Joey called out, jogging over to me. We'd separated while walking up to the castle, thanks to Tea spotting Bakura, and by the time the foursome had arrived it had been too late for them to wiggle through the crowd and join me. "So, what are ya thinkin', man? Anyone you have picked out as your first opponent?" He rubbed his hands together. "Oh man, I've been eyein' up the competition and I can't decide who I want to face first!"

"Well, I haven't seen anyone yet, Joey," I said with a smile. "I think I'm going to take it slow to start off."

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked. "Don't you want to get started dueling?"

I chuckled at that, not surprised at all that in this world everyone, even the spectators, would want to hurry right into a duel. "Of course but if I rush about I might make a mistake." I looked at Yugi when I said that, as I had been trying my hardest to hint to him that Weevil was up to something and he needed to be careful. While he'd won on the show I didn't know if the changes I'd made had altered the timeline even further; for example, maybe Weevil had added new cards into his deck, scared that I was gunning for him. Or the Dark magician Girl would screw up Yugi's drawing power. I couldn't just hope things would go about as I remembered so any help I could give I'd do so without being overt. Because while things might be changing I needed everything to in the end go along the same path if there was any hope of defeating Pegasus. "You see someone you want to duel, you race off without thinking, and the next thing you know you're in trouble." 

"That's a good point," Yugi stated. "Still though… you can't wait too long. Pegasus said that there would be a cutoff point for people to enter the second round so we can't risk missing our chance to get into the castle."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Tea asked. "We only have an hour before the contest begins!"

I held up my hand. "Just a moment." I walked over to one of the attendants, a smartly dressed woman who was standing near the castle gate with a bag slung over her shoulder, and flashed a innocent smile. "Excuse me… this island is pretty big… you wouldn't happen to know where we are supposed to go if we lose all our Star Chips, do you?"

She started at that. "So unsure of yourself? There is no reason to be so down, I'm sure you'll do fine!"

"True but I like to be prepared nonetheless. Wouldn't want to get in trouble wandering around the wrong places. Like out of bounds areas?"

"Oh!" The woman said, quickly nodding in agreement. "That makes sense… and now that you mention it…" she reached into the bag and pulled out a folded piece of high quality paper. "This is a map that Mr. Pegasus had made of the island. He gave them to all of us but he never said we couldn't let duelists take a look… you can't keep it but you can see there here," she pointed to a spot on the western shore, "is where those that loss the tournament in the preliminaries will be picked up and ferried back to the ship."

"Much appreciated," I said, pulling out my phone and snapping a quick photo before politely bowing then heading back to the group. "Okay, so that was good to know."

"Why did you care about where to go if you lose?" Tristan asked.

"You aren't that worried, are you?" Yugi chimed in.

"No but that area would be perfect for us to meet up in the evening if we're going to share a camp." I looked at the four of them with a critical eye. "Because I'm assuming none of you brought any tents… or a sleeping bags?" It was rather amusing to see all four teens shift and shuffle about in embarrassment. For my part I jerked my thumb at the large black bundle strapped to my rolling suitcase, which currently had my solar battery charger attached to it. "Well, I did and I think there might just be enough room for all of us." There wouldn't be with Bakura joining us later, but I know that Mai would be in the area and my plan was to try and convince her to take pity on Tea and let her bunk with her while me and the guys took my tent… assuming the knuckleheads like Joey and Tristan didn't want to just rest by the fire.

"That would be great!" Yugi said happily. "Man, I didn't even think of that!"

"I overthink things," I said before turning to the west. "Okay, I think I can just make out a long dock. See it?"

"Yeah, I do," Tristan said. "You want to meet up there? When you thinking?"

"Afternoon. Maybe around 3 or so? Plenty of time to make a base camp and then if someone wants to sneak in one more duel before nightfall there will be plenty of time."

"Sounds good to me," Yugi stated.

Joey bounced up and down. "AAAAAA! Come on!" He tugged at his hair. "Enough gabbin', I wanna duel!" He grabbed Yugi's arm and began to drag him away. "Come on, Yug! Duel duel duel duel duel!"

"Uh, b-bye Edwin!" Yugi called out as he was yanked away, Tristan and Tea following quickly behind. I, for my part, scoffed before slowly making my way down the stairs.

Once I was in the forest I purposely began to move away from any sound or signs of life, finally finding a shady spot under a tree where I could sit down and relax for a bit. 'Everyone else is going to be running about like crazy… I need things to calm down a bit before I can get my plan into motion. Hunger Games style.' I remembered how nearly every duel in the show had been winner-take-all. Duelists wanted to gamble everything in the hopes of winning big, rather than being careful with their limited resources. That wasn't what I wanted. I'd never been into games of chance; I hated the lotto and I never got involved in games that meant putting my money on the line. Since I didn't have a choice with this tournament I was at least going to fight smarter, not harder.

The plan was simple: wait long enough for it to look like I'd been in one duel and then find someone with a couple Star Chips. I'd leave my second one in my bag and only wear the first, so that when I challenged them I'd only have to risk one. If I won I could do it again before I began to slowly increase the wager. If I lost then I still had a single Star Chip and could just bum around the island until I either found someone I could beat or until I could figure out another way into the caste. I had plenty of time to work my way up to ten Star Chips so there was no need to rush about.

So instead of chasing after a random person to duel I began to go over the timeline again to calm my nerves and ensure I knew exactly how things went down.

"Yugi takes on Weevil. Then Mai shows up… I forget when… and Joey takes her on. That gets them past lunchtime because they are starving." I frowned. "Except this time I ensured they ate breakfast. So they might not stumble onto Mako. Hopefully they will though, even though it will suck if he is kicked out early from the tournament. After that is 'Ghost Kaiba'." I rolled my eyes at that. "Sure, yeah, clown boy was Kaiba's evil half. 4kids you country singers… and fridge you and your censoring!" I snarled and stared at the branches before continuing. "After that Joey takes on Rex in the evening and then they set up camp." I bobbed my head back and forth. "Did they run into Mai and Panik before Bakura, or after? And when does Kaiba show up? Meh, figure it out later."

I quickly began to do the math. "Okay, Yugi's total. Weevil gives 2 star chips, Mako I think gives 2 or three, Ghost Kaiba gives a bunch and Yugi only keeps those because he can't give them back to the kid… right? Crap, can't remember. Oh well. Then Yugi gets his final star chips from the Paradox Brothers. Joey gets a star chip from Mai, a couple from Rex, then gets some from Bones and then the Paradox Brothers. Panik doesn't count as Yugi won those for Mai and I can't remember if Seto took any of Joey's star chips. The Paradox Brothers let duelists bet however much they want so no matter what so long as both of those guys are at five minimum they will make it." I paused leaned back against my suitcase, a rather sneaky and greedy thought coming to me. "I could take on Ghost Kaiba."

I couldn't help it. I was in this world and while I didn't want to change too much… I did want to know how I stacked up against many of the characters. The match against Joey on the boat didn't count as he was still learning the game and there would be no way I'd take on Pegasus… I shuddered at the thought of him digging through my brain and learning that I wasn't from this world. With his obsession with getting his wife back he'd probably tear my mind apart believing that the 'real world' held a version of Cecelia that he could claim, like a foppish version of the Kingpin. I honestly didn't see me getting a chance to duel Yugi except maybe right before Battle City in a friendly match and Kaiba would be near impossible as well as I couldn't just walk up to him and demand a duel.

But Ghost Kaiba? He would be using Kaiba's deck.

'And maybe I could beat him without needing Kaiba hacking things,' I thought to myself before pulling out my phone and checking my e-mail. 'Dear lord that was dumb.'

The waiting was the hardest part of the entire gambit. I was an impatient person when it came to looming events. A boring day where I had nothing planned I could just veg out and not feel an urge to even move. But set a deadline for something or an arrival time and I became jittery and impatient, unable to sit still. Doctor's appointment at 8am? I'd be wide awake at 6 and debating if I should arrive an hour early. Need to have a project done by a certain day? I had it completed a week early and moved on to the next assignment. That was the way I functioned. So that hour was hell for me, giving it just long enough that I could make it appear like I had just lost a duel and was now desperate for a battle.

When I finally did begin searching it took a bit of time for me to finally locate other people but none of them were up for battles. The four that I passed had done just what I knew they would and had gambled all their Chips in a rush to try and make it to ten. They passed by me dejectedly, most ignoring when I asked where their opponents were. It was only the last one, a heavy set boy with dark hair wearing an orange jacket, who finally told me that his opponent, someone named Alto Stratus, what about a 10 minute walk away but I'd be best to avoid him as the guy was really good. I'd merely nodded my thanks and continued on, hoping that the duelist wouldn't move while I was headed his way.

He didn't.

Now most of the duelists I'd run into were dressed rather normally. Just your average kids in street clothing. It seemed Weevil was the only one to wear anything close to a costume, with Rex and Mako having clothes that while a bit themed to their styles wouldn't have caused people to blink and stare in public. There were no Arkanas or Strings running around Duelist Kingdom and the Eliminators hadn't been sent out yet to begin thinning the herd (I had a feeling Pegasus wanted to make it a touch interesting and would send them out in the afternoon if Ghost Kaiba was any indication). So I had been expecting much of the same with my opponents.

What I HADN'T expected was a teen maybe a year or two older than Yugi wearing a bomber jacket with fluffy collar and cuffs and a pair of aviators perched on his nose. His whitish blond hair was stuck up in a series of points, thinner and more numerous than Yugi's own cut. He was standing at what I knew to be a military parade rest on the platform that made up the dueling area, a condescending sneer on his face as he finally noticed me.

"I see I found the Flying-Type Gym Leader," I muttered under my breath.

"Ah, another to add to the growing list of my beaten foes!" Alto declared with a gravely voice that made me all at once wonder if Mr. Stratus would be cutting Christian Bale a check. "My reign of perfection will continue through you right to that castle and to Pegasus! I have never lost a match, young man, so best get it out of your head you are winning now!" 

"First," I said in annoyance, "I am at least…" I did the math then redid it again when I remembered my younger body, "4 years older than you. Second, if you have never lost then why is Weevil the National Champion and not you?"

"I chose not to engage him, kid. Not at that time at least. But I've decided that at long last I'll place my perfect record on the line here in Duelist Kingdom and if it comes down to him and me I'll take him out like I have everyone else, adding a cross upon my fuselage to mark his defeat. This is but merely the second step on my grand campaign! I shall take first Duelist Kingdom, then all of Japan-"

"I think King of Games outranks National Champion…"

"- I shall move eastward to Asia and grind it under my heel before I make Europe tremble and fall. The African campaign will follow next before my assault on the Americas begins and I finish my undefeated streak here, where it all truly began, and the world knows me as Alto the Undefeated!"

I could feel my features becoming less detailed and the background becoming a flat plain as I dryly stated, "Okay." The world snapped back to reality and after touching my face to make sure I was back to normal I moved up to the dueling platform. "I have only one Star Chip so I'll wager that."

"Ah… so it will be all or nothing for the both of us," he said, adjusting his glasses. "My 4 against your 1!"

"No… just one chip," I said, refusing to agree to what he was saying. If he found out I had a second Star Chip he could then force me to wager both and truly make this an elimination match. No, it was better to simply keep pressing my own claim. "Any preference on who goes first?"

"I prefer letting those in my scope decide if they want to take to the air first or come crashing down!"

"…Oh. Goodie. It's going to be one of THOSE duels," I muttered before pulling out my deck, shuffling it and drawing my hand. It still annoyed me how shitty my deck was and I was looking forward to Battle City when the game would open up and I could actually build my Endymion deck nice and proper. "Alright, I will start by summoning Dark Gray, in defense mode, and setting this card face down on the field. " As I did that the hologram activated and I couldn't help but marvel at what Pegasus and Kaiba had managed to create. It was one thing to see it on the show, the monsters made to look like they were actually there with the characters. But it was another to see them with my own eyes. The Uncanny Valley was in affect after a few moments, for my monster was entirely too still without any sign of breathing or movement, but when it had appeared I had truly believed, if only for a moment, that it had been summoned by magic and my will.

Alto certainly didn't have the reverence I had for the holograms as he merely drew his cards with a slight smile and a firm nod. "And so it begins, brat! First I summon Ray & Temperature to the field!" There was a beam of light and then… a creepy sun with its eyes shut and a ghostly wind with a face one might see on a guy going 'Yeah, I like to hang out next to the middle school, what of it?'. The sun floated pretty much in place but the wind spirit swirled about, moving all about the field.

"Well, they aren't staying there for long!" I declared, flipping my facedown card. "Trap Hole! Say goodbye to your monster!"

"You took off without checking your maps there, runt-"

"I am taller than you!" I snapped.

"-otherwise you would have realized that since Ray & Temperature don't actually touch the field they can't be destroyed by Trap Hole!"

"What are you talking about, of course… oh gosh dang it!" I cursed (or tried to). I'd completely forgotten that we were playing by Duelist Kingdom rules, otherwise known as 'Bullshit, The Game'. Rather than like the actual card game in this season everything was like a D&D campaign, so if you could make up shit that sounded right the game would allow you to do it. Mystical Elves chanting spells, attacking the moon, so on. It was like two 3-year olds playing pretend, trying to see who could "Nuh uh, I do this!" the other better. "I can't wait for Battle City," I muttered to myself for not the first, nor last, time.

"Now then, let me show you how the living embodiment of perfection wages war! I activate Cold Wave, which will prevent either of us from using Spells or Traps until the end of your turn!" The field instantly began to frost over, the sun looking a bit pale but the wind spirit still moving about if only a bit more solid. "And now to give them their marching orders! Ray & Temperature attack his monster!" The wind sprit nodded, creating a wind funnel while the sun shot out a burst of fire that merged to create a spinning flame tornado that easily destroyed by Dark Gray. (Alto-2000/Edwin-1800)

"Alright, minor setback," I grumbled as I drew my next card. I looked at the wind spirit and scowled. "Okay, I am sick of looking at his ugly face so I think it's time to rid the field of him. I summon the Ancient Elf in attack mode!" My purple armored elf, who in my opinion oddly looked a bit like a younger Dark Magician (more so then the Skilled Dark Magician), appeared on the field and twirled his staff before going into his default pose. "I attack your Ray & Temperature!" My elf lifted his staff and summoned several spirits before pointing at the sun and wind spirit, the ghostly forms rushing forward and shattering Ray… but leaving Temperature intact. "What the-" I began only to look at the lifepoint totals and see that it wasn't just Alto who had taken damage but me! And the totals made no sense! (Alto-1050/Edwin-1750)

"You made two critical mistakes there, youngin': First you failed to see that my Ray & Temperature aren't a single monster but two, each lending strength to the other. So all you did was destroy my sun, who was gravely weakened due to the winter weather. But the reverse was true for my Temperature; since he is the North Wind the cold only powers him up, increasing his attack to 1500!"

"…that is some bull shrimp," I growled, ending my turned. I didn't quite understand why my Ancient Elf had managed to survive that battle but at this point I figured asking would only make my head hurt. "Was Pegasus drunk when he came up with these rules?"

Alto drew his next card. "Now then, thanks to Ray being destroyed the temperature drops even further, increasing my North Wind's attack to 1700." The Wind Monster grinned as a beard of icicles formed on its chin, which did not help its 'Why yes sir, we did graduate together… so can I please take your daughter on a date now?' look. "And to give myself a bit of breathing room I'll summon this: King Fog!" The swirling mist on the field suddenly took the form of a grinned demonic cloud which pulled from… somewhere… a crown and popped it on its head. "And because he was called out after a sudden cold snap his attack increases to 1300! Now then my North Wind, destroy the Ancient Elf!" The much larger Wind Spirit rushed forward, swirling around my Ancient Elf until he was turned into an ice sculpture of himself, which promptly toppled over and shattered. "You are welcome to give up now, little guy. Then you'll merely have bragging rights that you were one of the first people to fall during my perfect run!" (Alto- 1050/Edwin-1500)

"Seriously getting annoyed with you thinking I'm younger than you," I snapped as I drew a card. "First I'll play Pot of Greed, which allows me to add two cards to my hand. Next I'll summon this card in defense mode and end my turn."

Alto looked over his cards before setting something on the field. "A good defense is a good offense! King Fog, attack!"

"Surprise!" I sang as Defender The Magical Knight appeared, his shield slamming down just as the overgrown fluff and puff swung his sword. There was a VERY satisfying clang as the monster's blade rang against the shield, shaking him and causing him to stumble back. "And it's the best offense is a good defense, ya idjet!" (Alto-350/Edwin-1500)

Drawing my next card I smirked, deciding that it was time for me to play around with making stuff up. "First I'll summon my Flame Ghost in attack mode." I wasn't sure how I was able to summon a fusion monster like a normal one but this was Yu-Gi-Oh! where little things like 'the rules' didn't seem to matter, especially in the first season. "Now, you might notice that he is a bit… warm. Meaning, Alto… there is a warm front coming to chase that cold wind away! Blue skies are gonna clear up! Put on a happy face!" The North Wind shuttered, his flight becoming erratic as he tried to control himself. "And what the air temp giveth the air temp taketh away… like the bonuses to your monsters!" My grin grew even bigger as I watched his monsters weaken thanks to the warm air generated by my ghost eating away at their cold air boost, his attack going to zero. "Now then, Flame Ghost, attack the North Wind!" 

"I activate my trap! Two-Prong Attack!" Alto declared, thrusting his hand out as his trap flipped up on the holographic field. "By destroying two of my monsters I can destroy one of yours… and I choose your Flame Ghost!" The fog monster and the wind monster swirled together, creating a massive wall of black wind that struck my Flame Ghost head on and shattered him into bits. "Eliminating the threat of your monster and keeping me in this duel! Got to watch for surprise forces waiting to make a charge!" I growled as, thanks to the Duelist Kingdom rule that monsters destroyed by effects caused half their attack points to be deducted from your lifepoints, my LP dropped down to just below Alto's. (Edwin-1000)

"Why is your entire bit military jargon?" I asked as I placed my monster in the graveyard and setting a card on the field. "Shouldn't it be weather themed? Like you are a weatherman or something and make wind puns? Giving me the 7 Day Forecast of defeat and rot like that?" 

"I would never do that!" Alto declared while I mentally debated pointing out his name was altostratus. "Besides, private, you have other things to worry about in this war. Take a look at the field." I did and my brow furrowed as I noticed a heavy fog beginning to form, swirling about and making it hard to see Alto's side. "When I destroyed King Fog his form dissipated all along the field, creating a magical fog that will hide my monsters from view! The perfect hiding spot for my next monster. But first I need to discard this card…" he placed one card in his graveyard, "so I can add two duplicates to my hand, one of which I summon now!" He set the card on his control panel and there was a glow… followed by an ominous crack of thunder. "Behold the monster that heralds your end, the monster that will see me show the world the true meaning of perfection. The mighty THUNDER DRAGON!"

Slithering from the sky down to the field the large green dragon moved about in the air, lightning crackling on his scaly hide. I had to admit it was a frightening sight… something out of one's nightmares. The beast was big… I knew there were duel monsters that would be far bigger, such as the Blue Eyes or Slifer, but it was still something that made me take a step back in shock. The drake rumbled as he looked at my Defender with interest before finally settling into the fog… which began to spark with electricity.

"Oh this can't be good," I muttered second before a of lightning came crashing down and destroyed Defender. "Okay, explain freaky!" I demanded, activating my set Hallowed Life Barrier to protect me from the effect damage.

Alto laughed. "Blitzkrieg warfare, junior! Thunder Dragon has infused the remains of my King Fog with lightning to turn it into a powerful storm cloud. Once per turn the cloud will let loose a bolt of electricity. Maybe your monster avoids it… or maybe it is reduced to ash!"

"Oh this is some hacking bull shredder!" I snarled as I drew a card. 'Damn it, this will make things tough. I have nothing in my hand that can overpower that thing at the moment… thank God he can't attack directly or I'd be done. I need to keep playing monsters though; if I don't then I automatically lose the duel. I just need to set something up to take it down… and it can't be a one turn trick because he now has another two in his hand. And with it flying about something like Trap Hole won't work. I need stall while I think of something and hope my luck changes and the bolts begin to miss.' Returning to the game I selected a card. "I first activate One Day of Peace, which allows us both to draw one card. Now, until the end of your turn, both of us take 0 damage. I then set Turtle Tiger in defense mode and end my turn.

Alto nodded and drew his card. "Thinking of trying to make this a siege, kiddo? Well-"

I held up my hand. "Okay, is the reason you keep saying those nicknames for me because you don't know my name? Because I think it's because you don't know my name and you're just embarrassed to ask. I just realized I never introduced myself. In fact I only know your name because the last person you beat told me. So you accepted a challenge from me without knowing who I was and you want to know but it's gone too long with you not asking and it's become awkward."

Alto chewed on the inside of his lip. "…no."

"It's Edwin Chaos, alright? And I don't believe a word you're saying."

"Believe what you want!" the bomber jacket-wearing loon told me with far more bluster than was needed, causing me to roll my eyes. "You have bigger problems!" Another bolt lanced through the air and fried my turtle, shattering it.

"Believe me, I know," I grumbled as I drew another card my annoyance giving way to relief. "Thank you Gobe. Gobe? Oh come on, they say God Cards… what the-? Okay, soap the censors… GAAAA!"

Alto removed his glasses. "Are you okay?" he asked, dropped his bit for a moment.

"Fine, fine, just a bit crazy."

"I'll say," he stated before going right back into Patton Mode. "So fire off your artillery and let's see what you have for ammunition."

"If you say so!" I declared. "First I summon the Witty Phantom!" My orange skinned fiend appeared, tipping his hat to the bank of fog and the Thunder Dragon that was still slithering within. "Next I equip to him Dark Energy, which brings his attack to 1700! More than enough to defeat each and every one of your Thunder Dragons! Witty Phantom attack!" My monster, having grabbed the dark orb of wicked power and infusing his soul with it, cackled before charging his hat with black magic and throwing it at the Thunder Dragon…

…and missed.

"My fog still covers the field, making it all the harder to strike my monsters," Alto pointed out.

"I noticed," I ground out through clenched teeth. "Stupid Duelist Kingdom Rules!" I hissed softly.

~MC~MC~MC~

"You know, Croquet," Pegasus said, tapping a finger against his chair, "I don't know if I should be amused at the running commentary Edwin there is giving us or annoyed at how he keeps insulting my game."

He'd just watched Yugi Moto pull a rather impressive turnaround win against Weevil Underwood, claiming his Star Chips and his dueling glove for young Joseph, and had decided to glance at the rest of the competition. It had become clear very quickly that Yugi-boy was going to allow his friend the next chance to battle and at the moment Pegasus had no desire to see the uninvited guest flounder about against actual duelists.

'Honestly, it would have been more interesting had Miss Garner dueled. She actually has a victory under her belt'. He'd seen plenty of beginning duelists trying to master the game and more than a few filled with the same bluster as young Joseph, but there was just something about Yugi-boy's friend that made it not that entertaining to watch him struggle and fail. It was rather… sad, to be honest. 'Of course he might prove to be more than I expected. Though I very much doubt it.'

Already a third of the competitors had been eliminated within the first hour, risking it all and coming out empty handed. They were all rather disappointed but were making their way back to the cruise ship via the rowboats, where there would be a catered lunch waiting for them. A few were already discussing doing a kind of 'Losers Tournament' on the ship and Pegasus gave orders to try and get footage of that; it warmed his heart that even after such bitter disappointment people still loved his game and were willing to play it. There were of course a few bad apples that were lingering on the island, hiding from his staff and hoping to find a way back into the tournament without Star Chips. He had expected that.

'My Eliminators have already been given their locations and have orders to challenge them, letting them try and win back their Star Chips by wagering their cards. If they can surprise me then I'll allow them to continue… if not? Well, a fool and their cards are soon parted.' He chuckled. 'Not that it matters. Yugi-boy is the one I am most interested in.' He paused, turning back to the screen showing Edwin's duel. 'Though not the only one I'm interested in…'

So far the reporter had been mildly amusing. He was good at strategy but seemed to be having trouble with the Duelist Kingdom rules; Pegasus had known that this would trhow off plenty of duelists who were used to battling one way. That was part of the fun. And Edwin's rather unique way of expressing his frustration did bring a smile to Pegasus' face even if the man was insulting his tournament.

Case in point, his opponent Alto, after having the bolt from his thundercloud miss, had just used Polyermization to fuse the Thunder Dragon on his field with the second in his hand in order to summon forth the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. A mighty beast with 2800 attack power that easily took out Edwin's phantom thanks to the spell card Quick Attack and would have eliminated Edwin completely had he not used Red Medicine to boost his LIfepoints. It did still leave him in a deep hole at only 400. Yet the older of the two duelists was focused on other things…

"How is that twin-headed?" Edwin complained, gesturing at the dragon.

"It is formed from two Thunder Dragons-"

"No, I get that. I mean where is the second head? That is not two heads, that is two mouths." He gripped his platform and shook his head. "Seriously, that's like saying if I have a sixth finger I actually have three hands. It's a Twin-Mouthed Thunder Dragon."

"You always mouth off to your commanders, shrimp?"

Pegasus frowned. "Shrimp? But Edwin there is taller than him."

Edwin drew his next card. "Yeah. I also kick their alps. And now to do something I've been looking forward to." He held out his drawn card and in a dramatic voice declared, "I now summon forth the monster that dispatch you and your overgrown lizard once and for all! From the halls of the greatest institute of magically learning ever created… come forth… ENDYMION THE MASTER MAGICIAN!"

The screen flared white and Pegasus had to shut his eyes for a moment due to the intensity. When it finally calmed down the camera was focused in on Edwin's mightiest monster, the Master Magician himself. Pegasus smiled fondly as he looked upon the card, remembering when he'd created it. While many of the first cards he'd created had been based on images he'd seen in Egypt as time had gone by he'd sought to bring in other cultures throughout the world into his game. After all, if the Egyptians had great power and magic why not the Norse? Or the Chinese? Endymion had come from a tomb in Greece where a group of statues had stood watch over the figure who laid within, the astronomy and scientist Endymion. The outside of the structure had been statues of mystical warriors, ones that would become the basis for Breaker, Defender, Crusader, and Rogue. The inner chamber had held the actual mages with the basis for the monster Edwin controlled being the most stunning. The moment he had seen it, moonlight shining down through a hole in the ceiling, he'd been filled with a desire to see the monsters created, though so far he'd only released a few of their numbers, keeping the rest within his castle until he felt the game was ready for such powerful mages to enter the playing field.

The Master Magician's effect wasn't going though quite as Edwin probably hoped. He'd used Endymion's Power Spell Blast to try and destroy the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon only for the beast to avoid the attack against the fog.

"Oh?" Pegasus said as Edwin called out an attack. "And what madness is this? Or is it not madness? Have you seen a way to slay the beast?"

Alto shook his head as Endymion charged up an attack. "You haven't been paying attention, squirt! My Dragon is mightier than your mage! You're going into a suicide run!" 

"I think not," Edwin stated. "Endymion… attack the fog itself! Power Spell Sweep!" Endymion lashed out with his staff and a beam of green energy raced through the fogbank, kicking up a great wind that billowed across the field.

But the fog didn't dissipate.

"Were you hoping to make it easier to see my dragon? I'm afraid it won't be that simple! My King Fog was too thick to be sent away with that tiny breeze, petty officer! And now you are about to pay for rushing across the field with a blitzkrieg air assault!" There was a crack of lightning but it missed, though Alto didn't care in the slightest. "Twin-Head, attack!" The dragon roared and charged across the field… only to snap his jaws and get air.

"Now who wasn't paying attention?" Edwin stated tauntingly. "I wasn't aiming to dissipate the fog… just to spread it around." He held out his arms and the field became even more fog-covered, obscuring not just Alto's monster… but Edwin's as well. "I've taken your trick and turned it right back against you. We're throwing darts in the dark… let's see who hits first, shall we? First I shift Endymion into defense position, then discard this card to activate his effect!" The Power Spell Blast once more missed by Edwin didn't seem fazed by that at all.

"Well well well… this has become a rather interesting one," Pegasus said as the turn came back to Alto and his Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and his cloud both attacked… and got nothing. "Or boring," Pegasus said with a shrug. "Perhaps I should have put a time limit on the duels. Truly is no fun if both of them just take turns failing to score a hit." But even as he said that he noticed that Edwin had begun to smirk as he looked over his next card. "Though maybe I spoke too soon?"

~MC~MC~MC~

'Alright,' I thought to myself as I looked over the field, 'the risk is a single Star Chip. I screw this up and I'm in Death Battle territory my next match. But… this might be the only time I get to see how far I can stretch these Duelist Kingdom rules. So to hell with it… let's see how this goes!' I selected the card from my hand. "I place Spikebot in defense mode. And end my turn. Now, Commander Wingnut, let me quote my favorite military slogan: you want my lifepoints?" A threw my arms out wide and roared, "Molon labe!" I couldn't help but notice though that the moment I uttered the phrase my Endymion… twitched. A glitch, most likely.

The taunt had the desired effect as the lightning bolt from his stormcloud fogbank arced upward before coming crashing down, a crack proving it had hit. Alto let out a laugh and commanded his monster to attack without even bothering to let the effect damage end me but I merely continued to grin as his beast lumbered forward, opened his jaws wide… and the sweet sound of teeth clanging against metal filled my ears.

The fog began to dissipate, revealing that Spikebot, who I'd shifted to stand in front of Endymon and take the attack, easily began to pull the Thunder Dragon's main jaw open, gears and gyros whirling as inch by inch he slowly forced the mouth open, much to the beast's distress.

"I can tell you are confused," I said with a casual, dismissive tone. "Let me go over the steps. Spikebot is a machine type monster. That means he attracted your lightning right to him. But metal conducts electricity so well… and Spikebot used that to charge his systems into overdrive. Think of it like a… limiter removal. He'll be destroyed next turn, unable to handle all that energy, but you won't be getting a next turn. Because right now he is so overclocked that he just added 1200 attack points himself! Bringing him up to 3000!"

Alto let out a gasp at that only to shake his head and smirk. "Fool… you've signed your own death and don't even realize it! Destroy my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon… it doesn't matter! You are finished!"

"Are you referring to the fact that if a monster is destroyed by an effect I lose lifepoints equal to half his attack?" I asked, buffing my nails against my shirt before looking at them, lips puckered in an exaggerated, "I have no time for this" look. "Next turn that happens… except I just told you… you don't get a next turn. You are done."

"Are you mad? Have you suffered from shellshock? Even with my Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon destroyed I still have 150 lifepoints! I'll then set a monster in defense and watch as your Spikebot is destroyed."

"Except you failed to look over the field!" I countered. "Every general knows you must understand the lay of the land if you wish to win. But you got so caught up in the sky you forgot what was on the ground itself… the Trap Hole I activated at the start of the duel!" I held my breath, waiting… and forced myself not to react when the field shimmered and the hole appeared right where I thought it might. "That weakened the ground and created a few more smaller holes… enough for your now decided NON-FLYING dragon to step into! Not enough to destroy him… but enough to GROUND HIM!" I pointed at the Thunder Dragon who began to bellow, trying to free his foot that was now caught in ground and was sinking faster. His lightning sparked but was drained down into the earth, making the beast sag. "And thanks to that grounding his attack is reduced by half… meaning that my Spikebot is now more than powerful enough to destroy your Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon… and the rest of your lifepoints." I flashed the V for Victory symbol. "War… huh… good god ya'll… what is it good for?" I said dryly as Alto's lifepoints went down to nothing.

~MC~MC~MC~ 

Pegasus couldn't help it… even though he was the only one who would hear it he clapped his hands together in delight. "Marvelous, simply marvelous! A grand showing indeed!" He smiled, though there was no pleasantness in the look. "I think I might need to keep a closer eye on Edwin there…" 

~MC~MC~MC~

"Good game," I said, walking over to Alto and holding out my hand. "You really gave it to me."

Alto never took my hand. Instead he thrust out his left and dropped 4 Star Chips into my hand while saluting me with his right. "You have ruined my mission, soldier, but I will respect a captain who can take on an old warhorse like me! Just means that I need to start back at the beginning, in basic training, in order to get back into a position of command."

"Uh, dude, I said one Star Chip. You don't-"

"Farewall, soldier! We will meet again! This was merely WWI! WWII remains!"

"Dude! Hey!" I called out as Alto turned and began to run as fast as his legs could carry him. "One Chip idiot! One! You don't… gaaaaaaaaa!"

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Note: Alto was my attempt to create a one-shot theme duelist… except the theme he's dressed as only kind-of works for his deck. Also Duelist Kingdom is so horrible with making up bullshit effects. I mean, makes sense when you remember that the creator of the manga REALLY loves D&D but still…

It does give me a chance to play with someone not used to that type of dueling, but who is very creative, trying to manipulate the rules.

Remember to review as it motivates me to write! Who would you like to see Edwin face? Any decks that never appeared in the show you'd love to pop up? Review and let me know.

Till next time.


	4. Duelist Kingdom Part 2- Float On

With my newly acquired star chips tucked in my bag I set about grabbing a quick lunch of granola bars and bottled water, musing on two things. The first that it REALLY hadn't been a smart idea to read Jurassic Park while coming here, especially since there were monster roars filling the air every once and a while. The second was just how utterly stupid so many people in this world were.

'They all have a gambler's mentality,' I thought to myself as I chewed on my meal. 'Bet big or go home. No subtly, no caution. Even Yugi does it most of the time, willing to gamble his deck or accept insane requirements just for the hope of revenge or at least vengeance.' I slouched against the tree I was resting against looking up at the sky and watching the clouds go by. "Seriously, these people are all about strategy EXCEPT when it comes to bets!" I paused, lips puckered in thought. "With the right two-headed coin and the right bulb in the White House I could rule this world in a week." I scowled. "Bulb. Bulb. Grrr. B.O.O.B. Come on 4kids it's a part of the body! Girls got bulbs, fat guys got bulbs, all of Gobe's creatures of bulbs!" I blinked. "Gobe… Gobe. Oh, but God Card is okay? GAAAAAAAAA!"

Part of the reason I was annoyed (other than those bastards that were dubbing me) was that Stratus had thrown my plans into disarray. I had originally planned to try and take on one more duelist before hooking up with Yugi and his friends but Alto and his stupidity meant that now I had far too many Star Chips to risk getting in another duel, not unless I wanted to lose on purpose and that carried far too many risks. Give the wrong person too many Star Chips, they lose to the wrong person, and suddenly Bonz is in the finals instead of Yugi.

'Huh… what would have happened if Yugi didn't actually make it to the finals but he also didn't lose? I mean Yugi's grandpa would have been screwed but how would Pegasus have dealt with that? The whole point is to eliminate him.' I thought about the pink-wearing villain before letting out a huff. 'Loophole, most likely.'

But taking on another duelist and giving it my all, and thus winning (which I felt far more comfortable with now that I understood Duelist Kingdom was half good draws and half utter bullshitting) would mean that facing Ghost Kaiba would most likely net me 10 Star Chips, or get me dangerously close to it. And with everyone playing 'All Or Nothing' except Mai, Rex, and Bonz, that would result in me screwing up the timeline. I was already hiding that I had jumped to 6 Star Chips, hiding 3 of them in my suitcase. Go in with too many against the clown and the gang would be slapping me on the back and congratulating me for making it through to the next round. I needed to get inside to watch the tournament, not steal a spot from Yugi or Joey.

That, sadly, meant that my part in the tournament was over after I took on Ghost Kaiba. A great consolation prize to be sure but it did take some of the fun out of being stuck in the world of Yu-Gi-Oh.

Throwing my wrappers into a ziplock bag and stuff that into my suitcase and stood up and worked the kinks out of my back before making my way towards the dock. 'I wish there was a way I could help that kid and Mokuba,' I thought. 'No way around it though. Mister Iwasnt Givenaname needs to get booted off the island Survivor style and Mokuba has to… get thrown into a damp dungeon and then have his soul sucked out of his body.'

I stopped dead in my traps.

'God damn it!' I mentally cursed, checking my watch and seeing that my lazy late lunch had taken me to past 2pm. I picked up the pace, stretching my legs out just a bit more to add to my speed. 'Can't do it. Can't let a kid go through that torture. Maybe I can hide him so Seto still thinks he's kidnapped? Or maybe Seto can still challenge Pegasus and I can keep Mokuba occupied so he doesn't dwell on Seto's soul getting sucked up. Damn damn damn it!' My guilt was applying a jackhammer to my thoughts. 'Pegasus, I swear you and I are going to have words when this is all through you twisted fuck!'

I knew that I was being insane. Mokuba seemed to be fine after Duelist Kingdom… in fact getting kidnapped was his entire bit. He was Seto's morality chain, after all. But I couldn't live with myself knowing that an innocent child had been put through hell just because I wanted to take the easy path. It was a risk… a huge one. Who knew what this would do to Yugi's ability to beat that Cycloptian bastard? But I had to try!

I raced towards the dock only to skid to a stop when the cries of 'Help me, help me please!' filled my ears. "Crap!" I roared, skidding on the dirt path before turning back around. "They met him at a dueling platform, not the boat you idiot! Gah!" I charged forth, spotting a few of Pegasus' minions but seeing them walking with calm, if rather downtrodden, competitors saw me breeze by them all, causing a few of the suit-wearing goons let out cries for me to stop that went unanswered. Charging forward I arrived in time to spot Tristan rushing the pointy-haired thug, managing a rather impressive judo flip on the guy… only for said goon to easily do a flip and launching himself right back at Tristan with a flying kick that would have made Jackie Chan clap. The vest-wearing kid tried to escape only for the hired muscle to grab him again, easily lifting him up as Yugi and his friends went to Tristan.

"HEY!" I bellowed, using every projection trick from my time on the stage to make my voice boom out, pulling out my phone and aiming it right at the prick. "I wonder what the public will say when they see footage of Pegasus' staff beating up teenagers and assaulting kids? Think it will make the nightly news all over the world or just in the 1st world countries?"

"Give me that phone!" the goon threatened, moving towards me.

I merely leapt back, a dark smirk forming on my lips. "Hey! HEY!" I barked, scolding him like I would an over-eager puppy. I held the phone up and away from me, wiggling it a bit. "Freedom of the press. Besides, I didn't just take your picture there, Sally, I made that an attachment to a text to my uncle, Kipling Chaos. Don't know who that is? Ask your boss about Chaos Communications." I saw the thug growl at that. "Oh, so Sally recognizes that name. TV network, radio station, newspapers… all I have to do is hit send and your face is plastered on the evening news so don't take another step towards me!" The dumb muscle did just that and I touched my phone. "I can make it worse, if you want! Don't even need to hit a button, just need to tell it 'send'. Voice to text." I brought the phone close to my mouth. "Industrial Illusions employee manhandling underage boy?" I sneered. "So drop the kid, step away from me, or I'll have every law agency in the world wanting to talk to your behind and then, just for good measure, I'll begin naming your boss in all this!"

Of course I couldn't do any of that. At least not yet. Hadn't had a chance to get the text app open before I came charging in. All that was on now was a normal text screen. But tall, dark, and pointy didn't need to know that. 'Oh baby, you are so talented,' I mentally quoted, 'and they are so dumb!' 

"You will delete that message now or I will remove you from the island!"

I scoffed. "S-E-N-D spells se-"

"Okay, okay!" the goon said, dropping the kid but keeping a hand on his shoulder. "You are interfering in official tournament business. It is none of your concern."

"Eh, I think it is our business when ya have the kid in a chokehold!" Joey declared, moving to back me up while Tea saw to Tristan.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yugi asked.

The thug reached down and grabbed the kid's arm, pulling up his empty dueling glove for us to see. "This duelist lost all his Star Chips. Per the rules of Duelist Kingdom he must leave the island immediately."

I frowned at that. Though I knew the truth of it all I had to play my part. "You know, you have a funny way of handling simple rule enforcement there, Sally."

"But I didn't lose my chips in a duel!" the kid said quickly. "They were stolen! My cards too!"

"I don't care what lame excuse you have, kid! You need-"

"Shut up Sally," I said in annoyance, taking a step closer while keeping my distance. "I want to hear his story."

"Me too," Yugi agreed. "If someone did steal his Star Chips that should be the person you go after, not him!"

"Yeah!" Tea added. "What kind of tournament is Pegasus running if he lets people steal from other competitors and then doesn't even bother to investigate?"

The thug growled and looked up at the five of us. "Listen, you know how many different excuses we've heard so far from people who lost all their Star Chips? They hid them, they must have fell out of their dueling glove, a bird took them, my opponent cheated… we've had 12 duelists eliminated so far and half of them used lame excuses like that. We don't have time to investigate all of them. Pegasus has given us those direct orders. So stay out of it and focus on dueling so you don't end up like this brat."

"Why you-" Joey said only for me to hold my arm out, stopping him. "Ed, what's the big deal?" 

"Sally here does have a point," I said. "If the kid is lying-"

"I'm not!" the duelist exclaimed, squirming in the thug's grip.

"Stop calling me Sally!" the minion complained.

"…IF the kid is lying then **SALLY** here is right to take him off the island, especially if he is resisting."

"You can't honestly believe that he's not telling the truth!" Tea complained.

I shot Yugi a look and he sighed, nodding his head. "We didn't think Weevil would toss my cars off the ship. We can't be sure who is telling the truth here."

"I am!" the kid pleaded. "Please, help me!"

I looked at Sally square in the eye. "You're taking him to the dock, right? How long before the boat heads back to the ship?"

"Thirty minutes, on the dot."

I gestured at the five of us. "Then let us look into it. We find out before hand who did it then you can kick the right person off the island. You don't have to do a thing… other than treat that kid with a bit more respect." I paused, wiggling my phone. Stick first, now the carrot. "Besides, if you are wrong and you tossed that kid out for no reason then you might get in trouble. But… if you catch the real criminal I'm sure Pegasus will be rather pleased."

The moment his frown went from intense to thoughtful I knew I had him.

"Fine, but you don't get a second more!"

Yugi stepped closer to the kid, Joey and a slowly rising Tristan moving to back him up in case Sally tried something funny while I moved back, phone raised in one hand while the other was held out to shield Tea. As the gang talked to him I took the time to actually snag a picture of Kemo… I was going to need it later. "Okay, so what did the person who stole your cards and Star Chips look like?"

"Well, I couldn't see his face, it was covered with a bandana. But he was a little guy and he challenged me in the meadow. Platform 146."

"He challenged you to a duel monster's game?" Yugi asked while I wondered what other game he could have been challenged to… and that got me thinking about that weird Shonen manga about Go.

"Yeah!" the kid said, growing angrier by the minute. "But the moment I put my duel monsters deck and Star chips down he grabbed them and ran off with'em!" 

"Just go with this guy, okay?" Tea said. "We'll get your cards and Star Chips back."

"We'll find that little thief and bring him to justice! You can count on us to make sure they don't kick ya off the island for no good reason!" Joey declared.

"We won't let them ship you off!" Tristan declared, pounding his fist into his open hand.

"But if we don't make it," I said, glancing up at Sally, not trusting him for a second to have told us the right time, "you contact Chaos Communications when you get home and I'll make sure you get your deck back. I swear."

"But there is no reason to worry about it because you have the brilliant mind of Joey Wheeler on the case and I always get my man!"

Yugi, Tea, Tristan and I all facefaulted.

"Onwards, troops!" Joey declared, marching off.

"…can we toss Joey in a ditch somewhere?" I asked dryly. "He won't be missed. Not really."

After about ten minutes we finally found the correct platform and I'd nearly gotten Tristan in on the 'toss Joey in a ditch' plan.

"What is your brilliant mind telling you now?" he asked.

Joey just rubbed his head. "Uh, beats me! All it's doin' now is givin' me a brilliant headache." Yugi though ran up to the platform… and sat down. "Hey Yug, think the thief will come back?"

"He just might and until then we can put our heads together and come up with a plan!"

"Like realizing that we now only have 20 minutes left?" I said, looking at my watch. "And it will take 10 minutes to get back to the docks." 

"We can't just go running about trying to find the thief, Edwin," Tea pointed out, sitting down on the ground. "Right now this is our best bet."

I couldn't honestly remember how they'd found Mokuba and I hoped that there hadn't been a fade out of commercial break between them sitting down and him popping up. "Guys, we need a better plan than 'Sit in the dirt'. The thief isn't going to fall out of the sky you know!" 

That's when Mokuba leapt out of the bushes.

"…that wasn't falling out of the sky!" I jabbed my finger at the runt. "You ruined the bit! Shame on you!"

"I found you at last, Yugi!" Mokuba declared.

"That must be the kid we were lookin' for!" Joey said as I bit my tongue from saying 'looking?'.

"I can handle him!" Tristan declared.

Tea shot him a look. "I hope you can you're twice his size!"

"Just try it, you big dork!"

"Back off kid!"

I, the only one not posing like I was ready to get into a Westside Story rumble, pinched the bridge of my nose as Joey and Tristan began to make demands of the kid. People complained about them not doing much when Yugi dueled to save the world but now I was seeing why neither of them had gotten a spinoff.

"Okay, as the only adult in the meadow…" I said, walking in-between Yugi and his friends and Mokuba. "How about we use our big boy words?" 

"I know what he wants…" Yugi said. "He wants to duel me. That's what you want, right?"

As Mokuba affirmed that I looked skyward. "10 minutes… we have 10 minutes to wrap this up. 10 minutes." I moved to stand with Joey, Tristan, and Tea, looking down at my watch. "I guess if I run ahead that might buy us another 5?"

"Don't worry, Ed!" Joey declared. "Yug will wipe the floor with this little thief in no time!"

A smile that would have made the Joker proud formed on my face and I hissed through clenched teeth, "He wanted to just sit around and wait while we were on a short schedule, Joey. Forgive me if I trust his ability to manage time!"

"…well, it worked, didn't it?" Joey asked. Rather than respond I merely waited for him to turn away before I raised my hands, mimicking choking him.

But all thoughts of anger and annoyance died a swift death as Yugi's puzzle began to move on his own. I could practically hear the Millennium Duel theme playing as Yugi narrowed his eyes and within the fraction of a second I found myself staring at HIM.

Yami Yugi. The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. Pharaoh Atem.

It wasn't like the show, where there was a flash of light and a swirl of magic. No, it was far more subtle and I could see how people might miss it if they didn't know Yugi well and weren't looking for it. But the way the boy in front of me held himself, with the cool confidence and determination, made it clear that this was no longer Yugi Moto. Yugi was shy, unsure of himself, in that awkward time between being a child and being a man where one didn't know how to act. Slouching down, bunching his head and neck down into himself, his shoulders dropped, eyes either wide with excitement or down towards the ground. But the Pharaoh? The pharaoh held his head high, making himself instantly taller by the way he squared his shoulders and stared straight forward, eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed upon his opponent. This was someone who, even without his memories, without fully realizing he was a separate being from Yugi, knew how to command attention, to command men, to command a kingdom. This… was a ruler.

"Wow," I whispered even as the Pharaoh asked Mokuba how many Star Chips they wished to wager. All at once I understood why so many people who had once been his foes became his allies. And I also saw who Yugi would one day become. It wasn't reincarnation, not with the Pharaoh's soul trapped in the puzzle, but somehow the world had decided that the Pharaoh needed to return again and created Yugi Moto to not only guide him but replace him when his battle was finally at an end.

"Yeah, Yugi gets pretty impressive when he gets like this," Tristan said. "It's like he becomes a completely different person when he duels."

"You have no idea, Tristan," I said softly as the Pharaoh and Mokuba both tossed out 5 Star Chips as their wager. Where before I had found it insane that people would go all-in on these duels, even if Mokuba was attempting to get revenge on Yugi for Seto's lose, when I looked upon the Pharaoh I knew that, even without prior knowledge… I would wager everything I had on him to win.

I watched the duel in silence, unable to root on Yugi like his friends did. Nor could I find it in myself to make fun of him for his cookie cutter clichés, like claiming that Mokuba's Man-Eater Plant was destroyed because it didn't belong to him when in reality it was simply that the thing had less attack points. 'With him when he tells you something… you believe it. Even if he is ignoring the true reason the wisdom of his lesson overpowers basic logic and becomes the reality. Mokuba isn't losing because of weak cards… he is losing because he wasn't using his own cards.'

"Yes, I sensed the connection to Kaiba," the Pharaoh stated. "You're his brother, Mokuba."

"How did you know… it doesn't matter."

"Whoa!" Joey exclaimed.

Tea nodded. "It is Seto's brother!"

"I am Seto's brother and he's the best duelist there ever was."

"You're right," I called out, moving out from behind Yugi's friends. "And do you think he'd be proud of you right now and what you're doing?"

"What are you talking about?" Mokuba demanded. "Who are you? You aren't Yugi's friend."

"Yes I am," I said glancing at the Pharaoh and giving a nod in return before I looked back to Mokuba. "I am Edwin Chaos. And your brother would be very disappointed in you." 

"Shut up!" Mokuba yelled. "You don't know a thing about my brother! He left because of Yugi! Because he didn't know who he was anymore after losing to him!"

"No," I said, firmly but with gentleness. "Mokuba you didn't understand him."

"How would you know, you weren't there!" 

"But I am a big brother. I know what it's like to care for someone. So believe me when I tell you Kaiba didn't leave because he lost to Yugi." 

"He said-" 

I cut him off, deciding to dig into show lore in order to make my point. "That he didn't know who he was anymore. But I don't think it has anything to do with Yugi. I think it has to do with him. Seto Kaiba became the man he is through cunning, not cruelty. He took over Kaibacorp by convincing the Big 5 that he was the best option when compared to your stepfather. And then he decided to do away with the war divisions and turn Kaibacorp into something that made people happy, rather than bringing them pain." I shook my head. "Think about that… and then think about what he did to Yugi's grandpa. He forced an old man to duel him purely because he wanted to control the final Blue Eyes White Dragon in existence. Never mind that Solomon Moto had retired from dueling. Your brother put him in the hospital and then tore that card up! After he already had it! He could have locked it away where no one would ever find it but he maliciously tore it up in front of Yugi. That wasn't cunning! That was cruel!" I huffed. "That wasn't Seto. That was Gazabora."

Mokuba stared at me, eyes shimmering with tears. "No… that-" 

"Your brother didn't know who he was anymore because he realized he was turning into the man he hated the most in the world. So he went off to find himself, to remember how he had become Seto Kaiba. And if that Seto, the one who got you two out of that orphanage, saw you right now using a stolen deck to fulfill a half-thought out scheme… he'd be ashamed of you."

The young boy quietly reached over and placed his cards on the top of his deck, forfeiting the match. I moved swiftly as the platform lowered down and, the moment Mokuba was back on the ground, held out my arms. The boy sniffed before rushing into my embrace, crying softly as I turned so the others couldn't see him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He repeated it over and over.

"I know," I told him, running my hand along his back, letting him spill his grief out. "And your brother will understand and forgive you too. But now you need to make this right."

He pulled away and hastily wiped his eyes as the Pharaoh and his friends approached. "Edwin is right, Mokuba," The Pharaoh said. "Your brother will forgive you. But what I want to know is how you ended up on this island."

I placed my hand on Mokuba's shoulder as he told them all about Pegasus, Kaibacorp, and the Big 5. Of how Gazabora's bylaws stated that only a member of the Kaiba family could control the company and the plan was to force Mokuba to sign the paperwork to force the merger of Pegasus' company and Kaibacorp. That would put Pegasus above Mokuba, allowing him to make the Big 5 the heads of their five divisions with free reign to return the company to what it had once been. Only I knew that Pegasus was willing to do this as he needed Kaibacorp's hardlight hologram tech in order to give his wife a body.

I clenched my freehand into a fist as Mokuba finished. 'Pegasus… if I thought I'd survive it I'd hold you down myself while Zorc scooped out BOTH your eyes! And your snake tongue as well!'

"Man, I can't believe Pegasus would do all that!" Joey declared. "What an utter creep!"

"Someone needs to do something to stop him."

"Believe me Tea, Pegasus won't be getting away with any of this," the Pharaoh stated firmly. "He has hurt a lot of people and has much to answer for. But before we can deal with him we must make right our own mistakes." He looked to Mokuba. "And that means returning the stolen Star Chips and deck to their rightful owner."

"You're right," Mokuba said, dropping his head.

"And we aren't going to make it if we don't hurt," I said, glancing over and letting out a sigh as the Pharaoh placed his five Star Chips back in his dueling glove, ensuring that this time he didn't lose 2 of them. "Mokuba, give them to me."

"Why?" the boy asked.

"I'm faster than all of you. Try and keep up but I'm going to race to the docks before that boat leaves."

"We'll be right behind you, Edwin!" Tea called out as I snatched the deck and Star Chips, placing the former in my pocket while clutching the latter in my hand. Within moments I'd left the others behind and went into a dead sprint, slowing down only when I began to feel my sides burn. I went into a fast walk at that point, still quicker than any of Yugi or his friends could have ran, but a glance at my watch told me it was going to be close. Too close. Fate, it seemed, would only allow so many things to change.

"No!" I yelled as I spotted the boat already rowing out to sea, Pegasus' goon watching as the eliminated duelists disappeared from view. I picked up the pace once more and my feet pounded on the stone dock as I finally reached the end. "What the hackysack, Sally? You said 30 minutes!"

"30 minutes, 29 minutes, what does it matter? Those losers were done anyway. They were never going to make it to the finals."

"Says you Sally May," I snarled. "Now turn the boat around so I can give the kid back his star chips."

"No," Sally said. "And the name is Kemo. Show some respect for your betters, you punk."

"I will when I see one of my better, Sally. Right now all I see is a tall man with a stupid hair cut compensating for having a tiny Richard Nixon!"

Kemo made a face, obviously not getting what I was saying, but by that point the Pharaoh, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Mokuba had all caught up. "What's going on, Edwin?" Tristan asked.

"The Pretty Princess Sally lied to us," I snapped. "He told us the wrong time just so we couldn't give these Star Chips back." 

"That's not fair!" Tea declared.

"Tough luck, Pegasus sets the schedule here."

"That's it, I'm gonna give this guy a pounding!" Joey declared.

"You have to call the boat back!" Mokuba said only for me to block his path. "Edwin?"

"Mokuba, do you recognize this man?" I said coldly.

"Y-yeah," Mokuba stated. "He works for… the Big Five!" He leapt back, realizing the danger. "You're the one that grabbed me!"

"So kidnapping along with grabbing little boys," I snapped. "Oh, am I going to enjoy sending out that message. You want black and white stripes or orange, Sally?"

"You will do no such thing," Kemo declared. "Pegasus has declared that if you send out any messages about what occurred here he will eliminate you and Joey Wheeler from the tournament."

"You can't do that!" Tea declared.

"Yeah, that's not fair!"

"Pegasus' tournament, Pegasus' rules," Kemo said with a grin. "He also wants you to hand over those stolen Star Chips."

"So you admit they were stolen then," the Pharaoh declared. "There is nothing fair about Duelist Kingdom at all. It's all been set up to achieve a single goal and Pegasus will change the rules or ignore them entirely just to get his way."

"Now you're catching on." Kemo held out his hand. "The Star Chips."

I slowly began to count out the five, at least grateful that Yugi wouldn't be losing any. "One… two… three… four…five." On the last one I grabbed Kemo's hand and forced it close around the metal bits, seeing him wince as the Star Chips bit into his palm. "Not today, Sally May, not tomorrow, but some day I'm going to tie a ribbon around your Nixon before I cut it off and jam it down your throat. That is a promise." I finally let go and Kemo opened his hand, throwing the Star Chips into the ocean but unable to hide the cuts I'd given him. He moved to get around me but I stepped in his way, already knowing what he was thinking. "Tristan, Joey, if he gets past me you grab Mokuba and run."

"Mokuba Kaiba in an honored guest of Pegasus and needs to return to the castle for his own safety." 

"Yeah, no." I said darkly, eyes narrowing. "See, there is a rule… I just invented it. It's called the Big Brother Rule. If a kid is in trouble and their big brother isn't around to protect them then it is the duty of any big brother that's nearby to serve as a replacement." I locked eyes with the big bruiser. "And Sally? Pinch hitting for Seto Kaiba will be Edwin Flippin' Chaos. You get near him and tournament be damned I am going to leak EVERYTHING to the press. And I will make sure the next room you have is a nice 4 by 4 cell with a bunkmate that loves to cuddle." I paused, remembering that it wasn't just me who would be affected. "Sorry Joey." 

"Nah, I'm with ya, pal." Joey cracked his knuckles. "Anyone did this to my little sis and I'd hope someone would stand up for her like you are." To Kemo he declared, "So just try it, ya big mook. I'll find some other way to help my sister but I'm not letting you take Mokuba."

Tristan wrapped an arm around Mokuba. "I'm not either. I took you on once and I'm ready for round two!"

"You aren't going to hurt him ever again!" Tea declared.

The Pharaoh was the last and for a moment I wished we had Season Zero Yami around. "And it is also clear that your employer has no desire for me to be eliminated by a technicality. So there is no threat you can give that will prevent me from protecting Kaiba's brother. So no matter what you won't be leaving this dock with him."

Kemo opened his mouth to say something only for him to pause, reaching up and touching a comm. piece hidden in his ear. After a moment he flashed me a sinister grin before sliding his eyes towards Mokuba. "Big Brother Rule? I'm afraid that doesn't apply… because Mokuba's brother is here and is ready to take him back to Pegasus himself."

"That's right."

Everyone turned except me, staring at the newcomer. But I knew just from the voice who it was and I felt a thrill shoot up my spine. Kemo looked at me and I could tell he was getting weirded out by the fact that I was merely staring him down with the cockiest smile on my face. I held his gaze for a few moments more before finally turning to look at the new arrival in all his glory. Dark lines under his eyes, echoing distorted voice, the same clothing Seto had worn when he first faced Yugi… this was Ghost Kaiba, the 'manifestation of Seto's darkside' as the Pharaoh had claimed or 'Fat Ugly Disguise Clown' as I considered him.

"Hello Mokuba… I don't know why you ran off but I'm here to take you back to Pegasus." The fake held his arms out wide, like he expected Mokuba to run in for a hug.

"Is that… Kaiba?" Tea whispered.

Tristan shook his head "And why would he want to take Mokuba to Pegasus?"

"Because I've seen the error of my ways," Ghost Kaiba declared. "I see now that Pegasus is what is best for my company." 

"You aren't my brother!" Mokuba declared.

I scoffed. "Of course he isn't." He glanced at Kemo. "Really? This is your genius plan? Have some idiot dress up like Kaiba… an idiot who can't even get the voice right… and think we'd fall for it?"

"I don't know, Ed," Joey stated, "he sure does look like Kaiba."

"…think everyone but JOEY would fall for it?" I asked.

The Pharaoh frowned. "He isn't Kaiba yet he also is. I sense something… rather similar with this man before us and Seto Kaiba."

"Yeah, you are sensing that both he and Kaiba liked to wear their school uniforms zipped up. This one just doesn't know how to put on his eyeliner." I stepped forward, moving past the group while making sure that Tristan and Joey were between Mokuba and Kemo. "I'm surprised you aren't trying to pull some blueship that you are 'Seto Kaiba's Ghost' or s crap like that."

The fake, I had to admit, kept a decent straight face. "Why would I when I am Seto Kaiba, alive and well, and here to take my brother-" 

"Yeah, bored now." I cracked my neck. "I'm challenging you to a duel, Fakey. I win and you and Sally May over there can skip over to the Love Shack and leave us in peace. You win and… well, you aren't going to win so I really don't care but I'll go to the Love Shack with Sally." I turned and gave Kemo a kissy face that would have made Alucard proud.

"I have no desire to duel you," Ghost Kaiba said, turning to face Yugi. "It is you who I wish to duel, to settle the score once and fall all."

The Pharaoh stepped forward and pointed at Ghost Kaiba. "And I will face you-"

"No no no!" I snapped, wagging my finger and moving quickly to invade Ghost Kaiba's personal space. "You and I are going to dance. If I leave enough of you twitching after I get done plastering you across this island then you and Yugi can have a rematch. I'm pinch hitting for Seto Kaiba, not Yugi. It's me you have to get through to claim Mokuba." I leaned in and whispered, "Unless you are scared... and the real Kaiba? He wouldn't be scared. Not. One. Bit."

I pulled away to see Ghost Kaiba glaring at me. "Fine then. I will destroy you and then I will destroy Yugi Moto. And when I defeat you both you and Mokuba will be returning to Pegasus' castle."

"I'll go to the castle when I have 10 Star Chips. In fact I'll wager the 3 that I currently have and Mokuba's safety. Now then… lead the way." I did a dramatic bow and motioned for Ghost Kaiba to get moving.

"You sure about this?" the Pharaoh asked as he caught up to me. "I believe that there is a very good chance this version of Kaiba has the real Kaiba's deck." 

"Then I'll win that as well. And yeah, I am sure about this. The real Kaiba I might be in trouble. But this fake? Be he Brainwashed Kaiba, Ghost Kaiba, or a Kaiba from an alternate dimension I'm going to take him down Yugi. And if I don't then at least you'll know what he is bringing to the table." 

"But you and Mokuba will be taken," the Pharaoh pointed out.

"Just me." I looked back at Joey and Tristan who were flanking Mokuba to make sure Kemo didn't try anything funny. "Spread the word to your friends… if I do lose they grab Mokuba and run."

"What?" the Pharaoh said. "But you-"

"Lied through my teeth," I hissed. "I'll give up my Star Chips but I'm not gambling my freedom or anyone else's. I lose and I am running in one direction, Joey and Tristan need to run in the other. We find a boat and paddle away until I can get a message out."

"If you are already planning out such underhanded tactics then you should let me duel instead."

I stared at the Pharaoh and rolled my eyes. "Grow up, Yugi. This isn't a game anymore. Pegasus took your grandpa's soul, he's kidnapping children… he refuses to play by the rules then we shouldn't either."

The Pharaoh though countered with, "If we don't play with honor and hold our word to be true then we are no better than him."

"Did I miss the moment where we kidnapped a kid?" I could feel the Pharaoh staring at me in disappointment and disapproval but I refused to engage with him anymore, focusing instead on the duel. 'It's all well and good to believe in honor but when you are battling with someone like Pegasus… for a ruler the Pharaoh is utterly naïve.'

Finally arriving back at the dueling platform where Yugi had faced Mokuba and glanced one more time at Joey and Tristan, knowing that the Pharaoh wouldn't send on my message about fleeing with Mokuba, meaning that if I lose the duel I'd have to make a quick escape with the kid. Already Ghost Kaiba was moving towards the platform, mimicking Kaiba's cocky 'My head is down, my hand is on my hip, I'm better than you' posture while Kemo stood to the side clearly thinking about how he could snatch Mokuba and then go and drown some puppies.

"You really going through with this?" the goon asked as I went to my side of the field. "You don't stand a ghost of a chance against Kaiba!"

"…you came up with that one when you were planning to claim this fake here was really Seto's ghost, didn't you? You had all these lame puns and jokes and insults already prepared and now they are useless but you still want to use them, don't you?" Kemo opened his mouth but I turned away and yawened. "Sorry, stupid makes me sleepy, Sally." I pulled out my deck and shuffled it before setting it on the digital readout before. "Alright Pennywise… it's time to DUEL!"

"Mokuba, don't worry one bit," Fake Kaiba said with all the sweetness of a rattlesnake. "Soon I'll defeat this cretin and you and I can return to Pegasus' castle together."

"Stop pretending you're my brother!" Mokuba declared.

"Yes, stop," I stated as I drew my cards. "You're creepy enough as it is without that."

"Why don't you believe I'm the real Kaiba? I have his deck, after all."

"And I own a flannel shirt but that doesn't make me Chuck Norris."

"Who?" Joey asked, Tristan merely shrugging.

I grit my teeth. "I hate this world," I muttered under my breath.

~MC~MC~MC~

Pegasus laughed. He was seated at the dining table in one of his smaller ballrooms, a glass of fruit juice and fine cheeses on a platter before him. But he had not desire for either of them for the scene before him was far more filling. "Oh, now this is interesting! I thought I would get to see a rematch between Yugi-Boy and Kaiba but instead it seems Mokuba has a champion! And what a champion he is!" He shook his head in amusement. "I suppose I should be annoyed that Chaos decided to interfere in my plan but I find myself far too interested in seeing how he handles Kaiba's deck."

"How do you think he saw through the Mimic of Doom?" Croquet asked.

"The young man is a reporter," Pegasus pointed out. "And he hasn't been touched by the dark arts and magics like Yugi and his friends have. For him the world is a rather bland place. Where Yugi-Boy and his companions would have believed our ruse that that was the ghost of Seto Kaiba for the likes of boring mind like Edwin Chaos only straight facts will do."

"But… that is the Mimic of Doom," Croquet pointed out. "He isn't magical at all, sir."

"Isn't he?" Pegasus asked. "He's already made himself look like Kaiba-boy." Pegasus' remaining eye narrowed. "And for his next trick he is doing to make Edwin Chaos disappear from this tournament!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"You can deny who I am all you wish but the fact remains that I am the real Seto Kaiba. And you do not stand a chance against me. Give up now and perhaps I'll let you leave here with your life."

I merely tilted my head in confusion. "Wait… so if the cops knew internal affairs was on to them why did they go through with the heist?"

Ghost Kaiba blinked, his creepy evil stare broken by my statement. "I… what?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said with a shrug. "When people ramble on about stupid things I zone out and watch little movies in my head. They are so more entertaining than you dull delusion that I'm going to, even for a second, believe that you are the real Seto Kaiba. So now do you want to go first or should I because I'd like to commence kicking your butt from here all the way to Domino and then right back again." 

"You are delusional about many things… that I'm not the real Seto Kaiba and that you will defeat me in a duel. I am going to-" At that point I looked down at my watch, watching as the minutes ticked by as Fakey monologue.

'Dear lord and I thought the filler was bad when it was in the episode! We were getting the condensed version!' I looked up at the sky, half expecting the moon to be out. 'I wonder if they have McDonalds in this world. I know they have that fast food joint Tea worked at in Season Zero but I hope I don't have to go my entire existence in the world without their fries. Or Little Caesars… I better be able to get Hot and Readys-'

"Uh, Edwin?" Tea called out. "You've been standing there for like 5 minutes not saying anything."

I shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts. "Are you done?" I asked Fakey.

"No but you will be when I, Seto Kaiba-"

I set a monster in defense mode and then silently motioned for Ghost Kaiba to hurry it up.

"Very well then, if you are so eager to meet your doom. I summon Hitotsu-Me Giant." 

"Man, that isn't good," Joey said as the green Cyclops appeared on the field. "That is the first monster Kaiba brought out in his duel with Yugi!"

"But Edwin doesn't look that concerned," Tristan stated.

"I'm not. Go ahead and attack my facedown… I'm ready to see the might of 'Seto Kaiba', Bozo."

"Then prepare for the might of my Giant as he crushes your monster and your dreams of victory! Go!"

The green monster lumbered forward, raising his fists over his head and swinging down… only for my Red Skull Bird to materialize and easily meet the attack with a swipe of its wing, blocking it and causing the battle to end in a stalemate.

"I'm waiting," I said with a raised eyebrow.

Fake Seto glowered at me before giving a mild shrug. "A temporary delay, nothing more. Soon you will be completely and utterly defeated. So hide behind your little red bird for as long as you wish, Edwin Chaos, but soon you will be banished from the tournament! Thus is the punishment for keeping me from my brother."

I puckered my lips together in thought. "Oh. Oh! I've been keeping you from your brother? I am so… so sorry. I didn't understand what was going on. By all means, I won't stop you!"

"Edwin!" Tea declared, surprised and shocked.

"What are you doing, man?" Tristan asked.

"I am realizing I was wrong to keep Fakey here from his brother." I lifted my hand… and gestured towards Kemo. "You and Sally here are free to head off."

"What?" Kemo asked. "I'm not his brother!"

"I don't know, you look almost as much like Mokuba as this imposter looks like Seto Kaiba." He turned back to my foe and grinned. "But hey, if you want to finish the duel I have no problem with that! My draw!"

~MC~MC~MC~

The Spirit of the Millenium Puzzle watched as Edwin drew his next card. 'He says he is fighting for Mokuba but he certainly enjoys antagonizing his opponent. Is that because he knows that isn't the true Kaiba and is offended by the mockery? Or is this how he always is, no matter the opponent?' Edwin summoned Faith Bird to the field, the blue long tailed beast joining the red avian, only this one flared its wings out for an attack. 'Yet when it comes to his actual actions during the duel he straight to the point, shifting his monsters to create a perfect blend of offense and defense.' As the Giant shattered the Spirit mentally frowned. 'But who is the real Edwin Chaos? The cruel mocker or the calculating warrior?' (Kaiba- 1700/Edwin- 2000)

"I will now set this card on the field and end my turn," Edwin said, a downface card appearing in his Spell and Trap zone.

"Yeah, that's it Edwin! You show this fraud whose boss!" Mokuba cheered. "This fake might have my brother's deck but he has no idea how to properly use it!"

"Oh Mokuba, why do you have so little faith in me?" the figure claiming to be Seto Kaiba asked. "You have seen me duel hundreds of times… this fool here is nothing compared to me. Merely someone who compensates for his lack of skill with a big mouth." 

"Why are you measuring my mouth size?" Edwin called out.

'Kaiba' gestured at him with a smirk, not needing to say a word about how Edwin had just proved his point. "But don't worry little brother, I won't let him keep us apart. We'll be together again, I promise."

"Hey, Edward Cullen! How about making a move already!"

Drawing his next card 'Kaiba' nodded to himself. "Very well then. I summon forth the Ryu-Kishin Powered in attack mode and command it to destroy your feathery fiend!"

The large dragon-like gargoyle appeared on the field, letting out a screeching roar before it rushed at Edwin's monster. But the reporter merely smirked before holding out his hand in the universal sign of 'Stop'.

"Oh no," he said with mock concern, "you've activated my Quickplay Spell: Book of the Moon!" The mystical tome appeared, surrounded by moonbeams as its pages began to flip thanks to a sudden breeze. "Within this book lies a special spell that, upon activation, forces your monster to cower, unable to defend. Infact this enchantment causes so much terror that your Ryu-Kistin Powered is forced into downface defense position!" The gargoyle howled and backed away, covering its face with its taloned hands before it finally reverted into a downface card.

"Wow, great move Edwin!" Tristan called out. "You stopped that monster right in its tracks!"

"That's the way to do it man!" Joey declared. "Cream this guy! Take that fake down hard!"

"You can do it, Edwin!" Tea shouted.

'He's doing well,' the Spirit thought 'Still, the way he conducts himself… it reminds me too much of Pegasus and Kaiba. So sure of himself and with no respect for his opponent. And that is what led to Kaiba's downfall… and what will lead to Pegasus' defeat.' The Spirit's eyes narrowed at the thought of the man that had forced them to come to this island. 'I can only hope that Edwin remembers what is at stake.'

"Now then, for my next trick I will use Polymerization!" Edwin slapped the card onto the podium's card reader. "Fusing my two avians into the Crimson Sunbird!" The new bird let out a cry as it flared out its wings before glaring right at 'Kaiba'. "And I end my turn."

"What?" Joey said, confused. "Come on man, go ahead and attack him!"

"He can't, Joey," the Spirit stated. "The power needed to fuse two monsters together doesn't leave them the strength to battle the turn they were summoned. Edwin will have to wait for his next turn in order to declare an attack."

"And I think I will give myself a bit more protection while it waits," 'Kaiba' stated. "I summon forth a second Giant in defense mode!" The green-skinned Cyclops appeared, kneeling down and wrapping its beefy arms around its legs. "With these two monsters in defense mode my lifepoints will be more than safe." 

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Edwin asked. "But let me teach you a bit about the world. My name is Chaos… and chaos isn't just random. It is instead two conflicting forces colliding together to create something powerful. Fire and water. Attack and Defense. Night… and day. So just as there is a Book of the Moon… there is its counterpart: the Book of Taiyou!" The book, this one a bronze to the Book of the Moon's blue, appeared on the field and flipped open. "With this book I can now cast the spell that forces a monster to switch from defense to attack. And I want to get rid of your stronger attacker first… so say farewell to Ryu! Crimson Sunbird, attack Sunburst Strike!" The avian cried out, flapping its wings and sending out energy discs that resembled the sun, which lanced through the forced-to-attack gargoyle and shattered it. "So far I'm unimpressed, Pennywise. If you are truly are Seto Kaiba's equal then I am rather concerned about his ability to duel." (Kaiba- 1000)

Mokuba trhsut his fist into the air. "That's it, Edwin! Take this stupid fake out! Show him whose boss and send him crying to his mommy!"

"Mokuba," The Spirit said sternly, causing the boy to turn and stare at him, "while I understand your excitement it is important to show all duelists the proper respect they deserve. Name calling and petty insults are dishonorable and make you sink to their level." He turned and glared at Edwin, the source of Mokuba's sass. "Respect should be given to all, even if they do not return it." 

"Really?" Edwin asked. "So he can steal the real Seto's deck, claim to be him, try to kidnap a child… but heaven forbid we call him stupid?" Edwin fanned himself and said in a high pitched southern accent. "I say, such language is givin' be the vapors." He scoffed and narrowed his eyes and, in his normal voice, added, "There is a time for respect, yes… but this fraud deserves nothing but scorn." He turned back to 'Kaiba'. "I am going to enjoy tearing your monsters down. And then, when you are defeated and I rip away that disguise you are wearing and reveal the fat, bald, bloating creature I know you are-" The Spirit leaned back at the pure venom that dripped from Edwin's lips, failing to notice the way 'Kaiba' cringed at his words, "-I am going to make you regret ever laying eyes on Mokuba Kaiba."

"It is you who will regret ever coming here, Edwin Chaos!" 'Kaiba' declared, drawing his next card.

~MC~MC~MC~

'The Pharaoh isn't happy with me,' I thought to myself as Ghost Kaiba summoned La Jinn in defense mode. 'Of course when its Joey talking smack then its just 'Oh, that funny New Yorker! He has such silly jokes!'. And never mind the fact Yami as MURDERED people. Me calling out the Butterscotch the Clown… yes, that is the greatest sin of all.' I huffed. 'But then again he's a hereditary ruler. Shouldn't be surprised that he's a hypocrite.'

My thoughts stopped though as Ghost Kaiba decided to throw my for a loop but setting all but one of his remaining cards on the field, leaving him with only one card in his hand. Now, normally this would be mildly concerning in a normal duel, as it would mean he was setting up for the One Turn Kill. Mildly because if I could survive it, and I was feeling good with Duelist Kingdom rules I could, then he would be top decking.

But this wasn't normal. This was the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! where top decking was when duelists were at their most dangerous, when they'd pull out the best card for a situation and turn defeat into victory. And considering that Ghost Kaiba had three Blue Eyes White Dragons floating in his deck somewhere I couldn't help but fear that he had one of them right now at the very top.

"I now play Metalmorph!" Ghost Kaiba declared and I fought the urge to roll my eyes when I saw what was supposed to be a Trap Card now a spell. And I wasn't even shocked when Fakey played it on his Giant to turn it into the Cybernetic Cyclopean. "And because I have no cards in my hand his attack increases to 2400! Now my Cyclops destroy that bird!" The flesh and steel beast roared and with a crackling punch destroyed my fusion monster. "Face it… you are now done for!" (Edwin-1900)

"Oh no!" Tea cried out. "This isn't good at all!"

"Guys… it was 100 life points. I'll be more than fine." 

"That's the way to think, Ed!" Joey called out. "Ignore what happened and power on through! I now you can do it!"

"Seriously?" I whispered.

"Do you think Edwin has a chance, Yugi?" I heard Tristan ask the Spirit.

"Anything is possible, Tristan, but I do worry that he's arrogance has placed him in a difficult position. Kaiba had two powerful monsters on the field and the strongest beast he's been able to summon was just destroyed. He will need to think strategically and believe in the Heart of the Cards if he wishes to turn things around."

Under my breath I muttered, "Turn things… I have him by 900 points! Geez!" I set a monster in defense position and ended my turn.

"I will set the card I just drew and I now activate the first card I set the previous turn: Gift of the Mystical Elf! This card increases my lifepoints by… 900… why are you laughing?" The Mimic stared at me, his cool and collected persona breaking as he saw me chuckling… for seemingly no reason.

I snorted. "Sorry… for once it isn't you and your eyeliner. Truly, I mean it… reminded me of something but… heh. Just… just ignore me." I waved him off, covering my mouth with my hand as I laughed at the irony of the Mystical Elf once more playing a role in this duel. (Kaiba- 1900)

"Well," Ghost Kaiba said, closing his eyes and flashing a cocky smile, "enjoy your cackling and giggling while you can because your good times are about to come to an end thanks to my monsters! Cybernetic Cyclopian, destroy his downface monster!"

"Thanks for that," I said as the half-machine beast let out a roar, slamming his fists down to reveal my Armed Ninja. The blue-clad warrior gave a final gesture of his hand before he threw his staff at Ghost Kaiba's beast, striking his armored chest. "My Armed Ninja, when revealed, can destroy one spell or trap card on the field. And I choose the Metalmorph you equipped your Giant with!" The monster roared as sparks began to flare out on his body before his armor shattered, turning him back into the Giant. "And now I think before you end your turn I will borrow a move out of your playbook. I activate Solemn Wishes!" The card flipped up but, luckily for me, no storm clouds appeared over my head. "This card allows me to gain 500 lifepoints every time I draw a card from my deck. And what do you know… it's my turn." (Edwin-2400)

"Increase your lifepoints all you wish," Ghost Kaiba said with a flippant wave of his hand. "It will do you no good. Within my deck lies the three most powerful monsters in all of Duel Monsters and soon I will begin unleashing them onto the field, sealing your doom!" 

"Not if Ed here cleans your clock!" Joey called out. "He gots more moves than he knows what to do with! So you just try it because he'll take you out and send ya crying home to mommy!"

"And you stop claiming that's your deck!" Mokuba cried. "That deck doesn't belong to you! It belongs to my big brother and you are going to regret ever taking it from him!"

"You still believe that I'm not your brother, Mokuba? It would break my heart if I didn't realize that you truly didn't know what you were saying. These monsters have twisted your mind and made you unable to see the truth, turning you against me. But don't worry… soon Pegasus will set things right." 

I though merely scoffed. "You might have been able to convince him had you not ended with Pegasus' Nixon in your mouth. As such, since you are truly annoying me Fakey, I'm going to wipe that smirk off that stolen face of yours right now. I'll start by playing this! Pot of Greed!" I drew two cards. "And it isn't just my hand that gets bigger. (Edwin-3400)

"Whoa, I've never seen lifepoints that high!" Tristan exclaimed. "What about you, Yugi?" 

"No, I haven't either Tristan… but lifepoints aren't everything. It is how you use them that matter. Afterall, a single well-timed attack can send lifepoints crashing down to nothing."

I held one of the cards I'd just drawn, trembling with excitement. I could feel the card pulsing in my hand, eager to come out and play. And who was I to deny him a chance to flex his mystical muscles? "In that case let me show you just what I can do. You keep talking about your dragons and how I should be so afraid and so worried and blah blah blah. Well, I think it's time I showed you _**my**_ Ace Monster."

Tea gasped. "Did he actually draw it?"

"I think he did!" Joey said, rubbing his hands together.

I could have just set the card on the field. I could have. I could have made it to be no big deal, that this was just another monster from my deck and I was summoning it. Played it very casual and loose, like one would if they were at a tournament in my world. Summon the card, move on. But as I selected the card and heard Joey and the rest of his friends gasp and cheer me on, Mokuba letting out a whoop as he too realized that I'd drawn something special, I suddenly had an epiphany. I knew why in the show the likes of Yugi and Jaden and the rest made such a grand showing of announcing their move. Because I didn't want to let this go by as a casual thing. This wasn't like the match against Alto. This was Kaiba's deck I was facing. I wanted this to be special… to have true weight.

I thrust the card high above my head. "I summon forth the monster that is going to end this duel! The one who sees magic not as a wild beast that must be broken but rather science that must be mastered till it is so understood that performing miracles is of little wonder as drawing a breath. Face the might of Endymion, the Master Magician!" I slammed the card onto my podium's reader and felt raw glorious energy rush through me as my mage formed on the field.

Soft light shone down as the dark cloaked magician appeared. Dressed in ebony and violets, his ornate mask in place as he twirled his staff, the beams of light gleamed on the golden accents of his robes and made the great golden and white-silver ring that hovered behind him shine like the greatest of ethereal treasures. Dotting his clothing and gear were spell counter orbs, crystallized magic that just waited for the spark to make them truly shine.

'Glorious,' I thought to myself before select another card from my hand.

"Wait… so does that mean that Edwin's magician is, like, the boss of yours Yugi?" Joey asked.

"I don't know about that," the Spirit stated and I fought back a smirk at how utterly petulant he sounded about the idea that his Dark Magician might be outclassed by Endymion. "It might be stronger than my Dark Magician but strength isn't everything. The might of the Dark Magician isn't merely in his attack but also his adaptability. After all, all good magicians have tricks up their sleeves."

I nodded at that. "Yugi's right!" I called down to Joey. "Which is why its time for me to show you my Magician's best spells." I turned to look right at Ghost Kaiba. "But let me assure you… this isn't no mere illusion. Endymion is no mere conjurer of cheap tricks." I held up a card. "By sending one Spell Card from my hand to the graveyard Endymion can channel the energy of that potential magic into his very staff!" I placed Sparks in the graveyard and watched as the orb in Endymion's staff lit up. "And now Endymion can directly destroy your La Jinn! Endymion, Power Spell Blast!" The staff lit up and Endymion sent out the blast right at the genie.

Ghost Kaiba threw out his hand, fingers splayed. "I activate one of my facedown cards: Redirection. This trap allows me to take an effect or attack that is aimed at one of my monsters and send it at another. And I choose my giant!" The trap, which resembled a twisty pipe, caught the blast before it began to grow and twist like a Microsoft Screensaver image, sending the attack at the Cyclops instead, shattering it into bits.

"So much for that!" Kemo declared.

"Pipe down, Sally, I ain't finished yet!" I called out. "After all, first there is the matter of your lifepoints dropping like a stone thanks to that destruction." (Ghost Kaiba-1200) "And I still get an attack, so La Jinn is still getting torn to shreds. Endymion, Power Grasp Sweep!"

"I reveal my next facedown: The Magical Lamp." 

I frowned a bit at that. I knew there was a card known as The Ancient Lamp that could redirect attacks but the Magical Lamp was a new one. A spell, for one, and it seemed that it protected Ghost Kaiba from attacks on La Jinn so long as he sent one card from the top of his deck to the graveyard. Rather useful, I had to admit, though not that useless for me as it created a nice wall I'd have to deal with.

"I thought Edwin had him there," Tristan stated with disappointment.

The Pharaoh merely shook his head, arms folded over his chest. "That's the thing about duels, Tristan: even the greatest of strategies and plans can be utterly rendered useless by an opponent's cards. A skilled duelist must not only understand this but be ready to counter their foes with their own combinations and attacks."

"Uh, Yug?" Joey said. "Kinda sounding like you are on Spooky Kaiba's side."

"Thank you!" I called out to Joey, gesturing at the Pharaoh who merely stayed silent. 'Okay, really have turned the Pharaoh against me, at least in this duel. He can Mind Crush people or be as mocking as HE wants but when someone else is doing it suddenly he's Helen Lovejoy clutching at his pearls asking why someone would think of the children. Hypocritical bastard.'

"Yugi should be rooting for me," Ghost Kaiba said. "I am the one that wants to reunite with my brother and you are the fiend that is trying to keep us apart. He knows in his heart of hearts that it is wrong to keep brothers separated and that you are the villain here." Ghost Kaiba drew. "And now it is time to set things right. Behold the proof that I am the real Seto Kaiba!" And with that he summoned his monster.

And I craned my neck up to stare at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in all its imposing, terrifying glory.

~MC~MC~MC~

Back in Japan, in a secret room within the Kaiba Mansion that had once been used by Gazabora Kaiba to hide those scientists and engineers that had delved a bit too deeply into their work and attracted the attention of the world governments, Seto Kaiba sat at a computer typing in commands.

"There is no way that this Duelist Kingdom just happened to occur at the same time Pegasus made a play for my company. The two have to be connected." 

"And they are," the computer said rather bluntly. "The Big 5 have finally betrayed you."

"I expected as much. They thought that with Gazabora gone I'd be a puppet they could manipulate. I showed them how wrong they were. They were just lesser evils when compared to my adopted father but evil all the same. Worse they refused to move forward, choosing to remain in the past. I've known they would plot something for a while now but I thought I had a bit more time. Something has changed."

"That change was your loss to Yugi Moto. It embarrassed the board that their CEO lost to a nobody-" Kaiba grit his teeth. "-oh, you know it's true, don't deny it! Well, now they have made a deal with Pegasus that if he is able to embarrass Yugi right back then they will merge Kaibacorp with his company."

"Thus the tournament." Kaiba frowned, looking over the computer. "Except there has to be more to this than simply defeating Yugi. The tournament is too big… Pegasus has gone to smaller tournaments before to take on challengers. Why waste all this money just to embarrass Yugi? No… there is more to this than we know. I need more information."

"Then why not just go there yourself?" the computer's AI asked in a sassy tone. "Seems like your style to go marching into an obvious trap."

"Because I need to make sure it truly is the trap I should deal with," Kaiba stated. "Alright, Yugi is going to be the key. Begin searching for the Dark Magician, his favorite card."

The computer was silent for several long minutes, allowing Kaiba to think upon how much his life had changed in just a few short days. He had finally achieved his dream of being the sole controller of the Blue Eyes White Dragon only for his status as the greatest duelist in the world to be utterly shattered thanks to a child who hadn't even competed in a tournament doing the impossible. Then Pegasus and the Big 5 had set their sights on him, forcing him to flee and then hide in his own mansion. He'd even been forced to leave his deck behind… he had little doubt that Pegasus had a hold of it and that burned him greatly. And to find out that Mokuba had been taken… Pegasus had a lot to account for.

Kaiba looked over at the new Duel Disc he had been working on. 'That is going to help even the odds. I wouldn't put it past Pegasus to use the hologram technology to look at opponents cards and mess with their strategies. I want someone I control. And as for my deck…' he looked over at the pile of cards on another table. 'I am almost ready there too.'

While he would always prefer his main deck and his Blue Eyes Kaiba believed that it was important to be versatile. As such in the last year while he'd been searching for the fourth Blue Eyes he'd also been collecting cards to build a new deck, his XYZ Dragon deck. The machines did remind him a touch of Gazabora's war profiteering but he was able to brush those concerns aside when he saw the strength and flexibility the XYZs gave him-

"Well, sorry to say that there is no Dark Magician currently being played in Duelist Kingdom. I did detect something that might have been it but that was a few hours ago according to the logs."

"Keep searching then," Kaiba stated.

"Well, I could do that… or I could alert you to what else I found."

"If it isn't about Yugi I don't care." 

"Even if it is a duelist who seems to be battling no one? And who is facing down a monster with 3000 attack?" 

Kaiba rolled back to the keyboard at that proclamation. "My Blue Eyes! Pegasus must have locked information about it behind a firewall… but he didn't think of doing it for whatever dweeb got suckered into facing it. He probably assumed that Yugi would be the one to face it!" His fingers flew over the keyboard and sure enough other than the weak encryption that Pegasus was using for the entire tournament there was little resistance to him pulling up the duelist's information. "Edwin Chaos…"

"Per the Duelist Kingdom files on him he is a last minute replacement for Kipling Chaos. He is using a modified version of his deck."

"Can we get more information on him?"

The AI laughed and Kaiba knew if it had a face it would be grinning. "Oh, I can do more than that. Pegasus locked up all sorts of things but he doesn't think this duelist is all that important. Meaning if you break down this encryption here…" a file appeared and Kaiba got to work, entering in commands and activating his own programs to attack Pegasus' security. Soon enough the file shattered and the screens in his saferoom filled with footage from Duelist Kingdom and the duel that was taking place...

"Who the heck is that!?" Kaiba exclaimed seeing what could only be his doopelganger on screen. A doopelganger with pale skin, dark marks under his eyes, and gaunt cheeks. "What fake did Pegasus bring to the island to use my deck?"

"That I don't know but I'm reviewing the footage and audio of the beginning of the duel… hmmm… seems to claim to be YOU."

Kaiba grit his teeth. Another insult. "Not surprised. Pegasus would play mindgames like that." He shook his head, noticing that Yugi and his friends were watching. "I suppose this Chaos fell for it?"

"Actually no. He keeps calling him out, calling him a fake and-oh."

"Oh?"

The computer shifted the camera. "Seems Edwin Chaos is dueling not just for Star Chips but to protect-"

"Mokuba!" Kaiba exclaimed at the sight of his brother being watched over by Yugi's dweeb friends. "That idiot is using my brother as a bargaining chip?" 

"Not sure he had a choice," the computer stated.

Kaiba didn't respond to that. "Alright, where is the duel at right now?" If this fool was risking his brother and getting utterly trashed-

"Currently your imposter has two Blue Eyes White Dragons on the field, having summoned one and used Tribute to the Lord of D to sacrifice La Jinn and the Magical Lamp to summon the second from his deck. His lifepoints are at 1200. Edwin Chaos just saw his Endymion the Master Magician and then his Crusader of Endymion destroyed. He currently has 3400 lifepoints."

Kaiba started at that. "How does he have THAT many lifepoints when he is facing down two Blue-Eyes?"

The computer pulled up an image of a card. "Thanks to Solemn Wishes he gains lifepoints every time he draws a card." The AI paused. "Oooooh. Or at least he did."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your imposter just activated Bad Reaction to Simochi. That card reverses lifepoint gain, causing Edwin to now LOSE 500 life points every time he draws a card. That has taken him to 3100. He is now setting a monster in defense."

"I know what the card does, it's in my deck."

"Touchy touchey." The computer was silent for a moment. "Should we begin assisting? I believe that we can hack into the dueling computer and begin draining the attack power of the Blue-Eyes-" 

"No, leave it be," Kaiba said with a shake of his head. "Even with our help this Chaos has no hope of defeating my deck. Yugi is there and when he moves to protect Mokuba then we'll begin assisting. But I won't risk Pegasus realizing what we are doing on someone who doesn't stand a chance." 

~MC~MC~MC~

It was one thing to see the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the show. It standing there, glaring at its opponents, mouth open ready to fire off an attack. It was quite another thing to be facing down the bastard in real life.

It was huge. T-Rex huge. And then there was the fact that unlike almost every other hologram in the game I'd faced so far, save for Endymion, the thing wasn't merely mindless hardlight. It. Was. Alive. It had a soul. I understood that even without the knowledge that this was Kaiba's eternal guardian.

And the dragon was pissed.

Partially at me because I was the one it was facing. But I could also tell that it wasn't happy being controlled by anyone but Kaiba. Oh, it might allow Yugi to use him, if for a good cause, and I wondered if it knew I was protecting Kaiba's brother that it would allow me to issue a command without a snarl. But Ghost Kaiba? It was only following commands because it had to, not because it wanted to.

And to add to the terror of all of this… there was a second one on the field.

'I can't keep playing defense against it though,' I thought as Rogue was destroyed and I began to search my deck for a continuous spell card to set on the field per his effect. I needed something strong since I'd been forced to discard a card, meaning I would be topdecking for most of the duel now AND had to always draw a defensive monster till I could find a way to deal with the dragons. 'If I draw into having no monsters I lose the duel per the rules. And that Bad Reaction trap is going to drain me to nothing if I'm not careful. I need to-'

I paused.

'I did not have this card in my deck.'

I pulled the card out and stared at it. I knew my uncle's deck well. It sucked. I had made it a bit better with my shopping spree but it wasn't where I wanted it to be yet. The weeks before Battle City would be spent getting it to the level I desired. But I knew that deck.

And the card I'd just chosen wasn't in it.

'Heart of the Cards,' I thought to myself with a shake of my head and a slight smile. 'Trust in the Heart of the Cards.'

"What's that? So terrified by the might of my dragons that you don't know what to do? Don't worry… there is only a little shame in admitting how truly inferior you are when compared to me. Surrender now and let Mokuba return to my side and I will be merciful to you. You may leave this island in tact-" 

I snorted before turning to Kemo. "Hey Sally? You have Pegasus sitting in your ear whispering things, right? He mind if I play some music to go along with all of Pennywise's doom and gloom preidictions?"

"Listen you-" Kemo began only to pause, touching his ear before nodding. "Mr. Pegasus is interested to see just what you might have in mind. It would amuse him to see your choice."

"Was hoping you'd say that!" I pulled out my cellphone and opened Youtube.

"What are you doing?" Tea asked. "You have to focus on the duel!"

"This isn't the time for music!" Mokuba complained.

"It is always time for music, especially when I want to set the mood!" Finding the perfect music and setting my phone on the dueling platform, the Bluetooth connected with Pegasus' tech, and then I flashed Ghost Kaiba a grin. "This fits on two counts. One that you seem to be preaching doom and gloom to me about how I am doomed to fail. Granted, you aren't the only one. The guy that is supposed to be supporting me is also enjoying spouting off how I am screwed all because I don't respect you." I didn't even bother to look at the Pharaoh at that point, as I honestly didn't care what the actual ghost thought. "So this is my response to you saying that it's all over."

God bless Joey for being the perfect setup man. "And uh… what's the second reason, Ed?"

"Because it lets this fat, balding, point-haired clown remember that I know what It really looks like. So sing along if you know the words, Pennywise!" Ghost Kaiba flinched at that but I didn't care. I just smiled. And with that I hit play.

I was willing to bet they thought I'd have some dramatic music. Maybe a rocking ballad with Aerosmith or Queen or the like. A deep booming beat, a war march.

What none of them expected was Modest Mouse.

"_I backed my car into a cop car the other day/Well, he just drove off - sometimes life's okay/I ran my mouth off a bit too much, ah what did I say?/Well, you just laughed it off and it was all okay!"_

"I place on my field the continuous spell card Endymion's Lab! And I am going to warn you right now, if you don't take me down real fast… I'm going to slay you and your dragons." I drew my next card and grinned before slapping it onto the field, not even caring that Ghost Kaiba's Trap drained down my lifepoints. (Edwin-2600)

But Ghost Kaiba didn't say a word. No remarks about how he'd beat me, no trying to keep up his disguise that he was Seto wanting what was best for his brother. He just drew his next card and I could see it in his eyes… that little bombshell I'd dropped about his true looks? It had broken him. Maybe for a moment, maybe forever, but it had left cracks. The damn imposter wasn't someone who was on their first mission. Being Kaiba was just another job for him.

'It's Hannibal King,' I thought to myself. 'He's been so many other people for so long that he isn't comfortable being himself. I bet he met with Pegasus in another form. His true body is just for his own eyes. Me knowing the truth? Oh, that rattled him.'

My downface Magician of Faith shattered and I was all too happy to take back Pot of Greed. It cost me 1000 lifepoints on top of the 500 I lost for my normal draw but with three cards in my hand I suddenly felt a LOT better about my chances. (Edwin-1100)

"Now then, first I will set this monster. Next I will activate this: Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your Bad Reaction and returning my Solemn Wishes back to its normal state!"

"What a minute," I heard Tristan say. "Why is that one card on Edwin's side of the field glowing?" Two beads of light had begun to shine on the edge of the card.

"It's because he activated a spell card," The Pharaoh stated, rubbing his chin. "He did state that it would allow him to deal with the Blue-Eyes White Dragons but I'm not entirely sure what use it will be. Endymion's Lab is used to gather spell counters, but at the moment he doesn't have any monsters that can benefit from that. There must be more that we are all missing. He was willing to give up what little remained of his hand for that card… there must be a use for it."

Once again action shifted to Ghost Kaiba and once again he was silent except calling for an attack. "Oh no!" I said in a mocking tone as 'Float On' continued to play. "You have attacked my Steel Scorpion!" My monster shattered only for it to reform clutching into the Blue-Eyes' chest. "My Steel Scorpion will destroy your Blue-Eyes at the end of your second turn. And when that happens… you are done."

The fraud glowered at that and set a card before motioning for me to continuing. A draw, setting Neo the Magical Swordsman, and my turn ended. (Edwin-1600)

"Hmmm," Ghost Kaiba stated, looking over his hand. "I think it's time to stop your Solemn Wishes. I use Trap Defusal, destroying your Solemn Wishes and with it your ability to boost your lifepoints!" The spell card flashed before my Solemn Wishes shattered but I was more focused on my Lab, which now had a third spell counter on it. "The cost is that both of us are able to draw one card but I am not concerned with that. There is no monster left in your deck that can defeat my dragons! This is only a matter of time before you are destroyed. Just as I destroy your Neos!"

"And just like I destroy your Blue-Eyes!" I called out as the Steel Scorpion exploded.

"I activate Hallowed Life Barrier to protect my lifepoints! Nice try, Edwin, but once more you come up far too short."

"Heh, this is getting pretty boring," Kemo taunted. "Why don't you just give up now Chaos and admit defeat! If you get on your knees and beg maybe I'll be gentle with you!"

"Huh… where have I heard that before? Oh yeah that's what your mother said last night!" I called out. Granted, it took me imagining that Kemo's mom was begging me to be gentle while I brushed her hair but still I was able to work around the 4Kids censor. "I'd say your dad but he was too busy hiding in the closet sobbing and smacking his own head while whimpering!" I looked up and saw that Ghost Kaiba was smirking as the card he'd drawn. "Let me guess… you just drew the final Blue Eyes, didn't you?"

"Well… what does it matter if you know the truth? Yes… yes I have! And I also have in my hand Monster Reborn! On my next turn I will summon one dragon from my hand and the other from my Graveyard! Then you will face the fury of my three Blue-Eyes!"

"They aren't yours, you fake!" Mokuba cried out. "They are my brothers!"

"Mokuba," I said sternly, "That's enough." I could tell the boy was confused. The Pharaoh was the one to scold him, not me. "Besides, don't waste your breath… this fraud isn't getting a next turn. I'm ending him right now!"

"Ending me?" Ghost Kaiba taunted. "You don't have a single monster on the field, let alone one that can defeat my dragon! Face it, Edwin… you are finished."

"We'll see…" I said, drawing. "First I activate Red Medicine to increase my lifepoints to 2100. But honestly… I could lose that much and not care. I could lose all but one lifepoint and not care. Because all you have are monsters on the field and nothing to stop what is about to happen. So let me make this clear to you, Fakey… what is about to happen next isn't because you stole Kaiba's deck. Or tried to steal his identity. It is because you traumatized that boy-" I pointed at Mokuba, "and just sent my damn Papa Wolf Syndrome into fudging overdrive!" I lifted up a card. "I activate the spell card Spell Power Grasp! This card allows me to add one spell counter onto a card on my field and I choose Endymion's Lab! And because Spell Power Grasp is a spell card itself it adds a second one to the Lab while I add a second copy from my deck to my hand. But I have more than enough to end you right here!"

"With what card?" Ghost Kaiba asked. "The Blue-Eyes White Dragon is the mightiest card in the game!"

"Attack points don't make a card mighty! Its effects! Abilities! Combos! Take my Endymion… I told you that he studied magic until it became as simple as breathing to him. And the first spell he truly mastered?" I leaned forward and grinned with all teeth and no joy. "Monster Reborn." 

"…no," Ghost Kaiba whispered.

"Yes."

"No no no!" Ghost Kaiba pleaded.

"Yes, yes, forever yes! I remove 6 spell counters from Endymion's Lab to bring forth from the graveyard the Master of Magicians: Endymion!" My Ace Monster reformed onto the field, spinning his staff before letting out a cry, a blast of magical energy flaring out from him and nearly knocking everyone but me off their feet. But the biggest effect was on Ghost Kaiba as his disguise shattered, his form bursting out of his Kaiba guise and revealing that bloated lovechild of Dilbert's boss and Bozo the clown for the world to see. But rather than arrogance and snide mockery he wore in the show when he'd revealed himself to Yugi now the Mimic was staring at me with utter terror. And It. Was. Delicious.

"What… what is that?" Tea exclaimed.

"A fake and a fraud," I said coldly. "A thief that stole Seto's deck and tried to kidnap a child. Not Kaiba, not his ghost, not his dark half. Just an assassin and a criminal Pegasus hired to recapture a child and illegally take over a company. A master of disguise who has used his powers for things that would make your hair curl." I was of course lying through my teeth but the way the fraud was staring at me with open shock showed I'd hit the mark. "Reporter. I've done my research. I know things you wouldn't believe. Secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken… knowledge that would make parasite gods _bleed._" Thrilled that this world didn't have Doctor Who, or at least no one was a fan to realize I'd ripped of the 11th Doctor, I turned and glared at the Pharaoh. "Still think I should 'show him respect'?" The Pharaoh merely narrowed his eyes and I focused once more on my foe. "You know what happens now, Eliminator!"

"No… no, you can't!"

"I can!" I held up the Spell Power Grasp that I had gained. "I activate Endymion's special ability, transforming this spell into the energy needed to slay your dragon!" I placed the card into the graveyard. "In the words of your people, Fakey… they float… they all float! And down here… **YOU'LL FLOAT TOO!**"

The fraud cried out as Endymion lashed out, sending the Spell Power Blast at the stolen Blue-Eyes, the dragon actually leaning into the strike to end its enslavement and finish the duel with an explosion that had the imposter gripping the podium to try and remain in place. (Ghost Kaiba-0)

"Beep beep, Ritchie," I said coldly as my platform lowered down and I gathered up my cards. "Now then, I'll be taking my star chips, you and Sally will be on your way, and just because you really prissed me off I think I'll be giving Seto's deck to Mokuba-"

The Fraud though was having none of that, reaching his hand into his cloak before yanking it out…and pointing two fingers at me. It took me a long moment to realize what was going on. 'Oh thank you 4kids for censoring the guns!' I took a step forward and the imposter trembled.

"Stay back! Stay back! You aren't getting anything from me! I mean it! Give us the boy and leave before you get hurt."

"Careful, Edwin!" Tristan called out. "This guy is serious!" 

"Don't let him hurt you!" Mokuba declared.

I quirked an eyebrow at that but the Pharaoh moved forward, putting himself between me and the fake. It would have been rather impressive and emotional if it weren't just the frauds fingernails that were threatening me. "I might not agree with Edwin's methods but I see now he was right about you: you are undeserving of respect or kindness, swindler! You disgraced Kaiba by using his deck and his face and now you try to weasel your way out of admitting defeat? No more!" He thrust out his hand and I leaned back as the glowing image of the Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead. "Begone!" The world went negative for a moment and the Fraud cried out, his image shattering like glass before… he was just gone.

And no one other than me even reacted to the fact that another living creature had just gotten blinked into the cornfield.

"Froot Loop me," I murmured at the reminder that the Pharaoh, for all his judgmental ways, could be a savage bastard. Pushing back that horror until I had a private moment to properly freak out I instead walked over to the fraud's podium and took Seto's deck and my newly acquired star chips. "Well Sally, this has been fun but I think it is time you headed off." 

"I don't think so," Kemo snapped. "Mr. Pegasus wants Mokuba Kaiba and I'm not leaving without him."

Joey glared at him, balling up his fist. "What's the deal!? You and Ed had a deal!"

"And I'm breaking it. So what?"

"Ya friggin' cheat!" Joey declared, balling his fists up.

Tea nodded, moving to stand behind Mokuba, placing her hands on his shoulders. "You aren't going to take him! We aren't going to let you!" 

"Yeah, if you want him you'll have to get through us!"

Kemo cracked his knuckles. "That can be arranged…" he took a step forward only to pause, touching his ear. His face screwed up in disgust for a moment before it went back to its normal stony glower. "Very well." Kemo looked at us and with a barely held sneer stated, "Mr. Pegasus has agreed to your terms, Edwin Chaos: So long as you remain on this island and the boy remain with you he will not be harmed or taken."

Joey, Tristan, and Tea cheered that but I merely glanced at the Pharaoh. "Meaning I am now a target for every eliminator Pegasus has in his employ?"

"My thoughts exactly," the Pharaoh said before turning and looking towards one of the cameras that had been watching the duel. "And Pegasus… you have just revealed to us your cruelty and madness. I won't let that stand. Be ready… because I'm coming for you!"

"What he said," I muttered for lack of a witty comment. Mostly because my mind was elsewhere. I had sought to avoid changing events, to let history play out as I remembered it. Now though? Mokuba was safe. He would travel with us and wouldn't fall into Pegasus' hands. And now Pegasus was going to be gunning for me as hard as he was Yugi and Seto.

I hadn't merely changed history.

I'd taken a sledgehammer to it.


	5. Duelist Kingdom Part 3- All Men Dream

"_What he said."_

Maxamillian Pegasus looked down at his hand and scowled. He knew that the bandages were necessary, as otherwise he would be dripping blood all over the priceless Prussian rug he'd gotten a few years back at auction, but he hated how it drew attention to his injuries. He had always been someone who believed that it was important to keep up appearances, even if there was no one around to see the flaws or imperfections. It was why he made sure to dress in only the best styles and hold himself with the utmost dignity even in his most private moments. And the bandage was a stark reminder of the cuts upon his palm.

Little Yugi's powers had developed greatly, enough to truly be impressive to anyone other than Pegasus himself. His growth in the Shadow Realm powers was impressive and Pegasus knew that when the time came for them to battle it would only make their competition all the sweater, like the perfect wine paired with the finest of cheeses.

'But it won't be enough,' Pegasus thought to himself. 'Little Yugi has only begun to learn the power of the Millennium Items and just what they mean to their wielders. I have learned how to master my Millennium Eye for years now… paid a grave price for it while Yugi-boy merely had the power handed to him. Well, that is fine enough… the suffering I've gone through has only motivated me all the more. And soon I will add Yugi's puzzle to my own power and then… and then you and I will be together again, my darling Cecelia.'

Even though all his plans hadn't worked out Pegasus was still in a decent mood. 'Young Mokuba may no longer be under my control but he still remains on the island with no hopes of escape. All the boats that could remove him are under the control of me… save Renard's.' He frowned a bit as he thought of the dashing and probably insane duelist from Europe he'd hired to be one of his Eliminators. The man had read too much pirate fiction in Pegasus' opinion and had insisted he be able to anchor his tiny schooner offshore, as "what is a man of romance and danger without his trusted vessel?" Still, Mokuba wouldn't be getting off the Island any time soon and only under Pegasus' command. 'And because he is traveling with Yugi-boy and his friends he believes he is entirely safe when all he's done is exchange one prison cell for another.' He paused and smiled at the thought that Mokuba believed he had won when in reality Pegasus reminded completely in control. 'And besides it means I don't need to waste my servants' attention on the ungrateful brat. Used those sheets as a rope… those were 400 thread sheets and scented with lavender….'

Still, it wasn't merely Yugi and Mokuba that Pegasus was thinking of… nor they that made his smile drop as Croquet entered with a folder. "Master Pegasus." 

"What did you find, Croquet?" he asked.

"It is as you expected… during Edwin Chaos' duel with the Mimic of Doom we detected an intrusion to our systems. A trace has shown in came from the mainland and within an hour we'll have it zeroed in-"

"No need," Pegasus said, holding up his hand dismissively. "I already know who it was." He smiled slightly, lips quirking upward. "It seems the men the Big Five lent me to deal with Kaiba-Boy are about as skilled as those corporate suits are."

"Then you mean…"

"That Seto Kaiba is alive and well? Of course. And I would imagine that he is now making his way to Duelist Kingdom right now, hoping to rescue his brother, save his company, regain his deck, and get his vengeance on myself and Yugi Moto." He chuckled at that. "Of course it all depends on him which comes first."

"Surely his brother will be his first priority."

"You would think that but I have found with Seto Kaiba it is truly impossible to determine what he cares about more. Just look at his rather… unhealthy… obsession with his Blue-Eyes." He laughed at that, thinking of the complete set of Blue-Eyes White Dragons he had hidden in his vault deep within the castle… along with monsters that Kaiba had never even heard of. 'I wonder how he would react to the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon… I suppose either find a burning desire to obtain it… or destroy it as a disgrace to 'his' dragon.'

"I will alert the staff to prepare for him-"

"No no, no need for that. After all, what kind of host would I be if I attacked my guests? Come now Croquet, we must be polite. Let Kaiba-Boy come and join us… after all, it will be all the more pleasurable to destroy him fairly than it will be to do it underhandedly." He ran his index finger under his nose in thought. "In fact now that I think about it doing it the Big 5's way wasn't sporting at all. Have Kaiba-boy eliminated with an accident? How utterly boring. Rather like them, actually… small minded. Mmmmm. And you know I am ANYTHING but boring."

"Very good sir." Croquet made a note of that before continuing on. "As for Yugi Moto he remains with 5 star chips while his friend Joseph Wheeler is now at 2."

"Yugi-boy seems to be going rather slow. One would almost think he isn't interested in saving his grandfather's soul. Still, I suppose spending half his time babysitting his friend does waste much time." Pegasus flexed his hand only to wince as his wounds burned and his good mood vanished. "And what of Edwin Chaos?"

Croquet was quiet.

"Well? You know how I hate to repeat myself…"

His valet swallowed. "It seems that thanks to his battle with the Mimic of Doom Edwin Chaos now has the most Star Chips on the island with 9 total."

"9?" Pegasus said with a frowned. "How is that possible? He had only 3 when he battled the Mimic. Your math is failing you, Croquet; he should be at 6."

"It seems, per reports, that he managed to win 4 from another duelist. He is… hiding his true total, sir."

That left Pegasus baffled. "Hiding them? Why ever would he do that? Every other duelist is seeking out Star Chips and bragging proudly of their victories and this man is trying to downplay his wins?" He paused, considering what he'd just said, it occurring to him just what was going on. "Oh… oh, now that is cunning. By hiding his true total he keeps the likes of Yugi-Boy or the other skilled duelist from seeking to challenge him. At this stage the weak have already been eliminated and now those that remain are trying to prove themselves as the mightiest of the mighty. And the more Star Chips you have the more attractive target you are." His lips once more raised into a slight smirk. "A cunning man."

'And a dangerous one,' he thought to himself.

That was what was truly bothering him. Not Kaiba coming to the island, as that was expected. Not Yugi-Boy and his growing skill with the Millennium Puzzle, for Pegasus knew his own mastery was far greater than the boy. No, it was this unknown factor, this Edwin Chaos, that was ruining his good mood. Pegasus liked order, even in the most pleasurable of pursuits. With his favorite cartoons there was always a structure. Funny Bunny would get into a situation with Ruff Ruff McDogg, he would do a few comedic schemes to deal with the mutt, and in the end he'd get his way. Oh, he'd find different ways each time to get his way but he would always win. But this new factor was living up to his name: he was Chaos Incarnate. The unexpected. The unplanned for. The Devil in the Details.

'He defeated Kaiba-Boy's deck. Not with Yugi-Boy whispering in his ear, not with magic or outside trickery… he defeated the Blue-Eyes White Dragon with his deck. Yugi Moto needed to summon a myth… Edwin Chaos did so with merely a few meaningful draws. And doing so has forced me to completely rethink my plans for the days to come.'

What truly worried him was Edwin's Ace Monster, Endymion. The ability to destroy any card on the field threatened Pegasus' deck completely and utterly. Toon World had been designed to ensure that Pegasus could defeat anyone that managed to make it to the end of his tournament. He was all for good fun but he wasn't going to lose at the game he himself had created. The power of his Toon Monsters were unbeatable… so long as Toon World was on the field. And Edwin had a card that could destroy it.

'And not just that card,' he thought to himself, remembering Edwin's Mystical Space Typhoon. 'He showed in that duel along that he can destroy Toon World and with it my precious Toons. Should he manage to get his Endymion onto the field there would be little I could do to prevent it from ruining everything.' He scowled at that. 'I'll need to rework my deck to make sure that his Master Magician isn't able to hurt my beloved toons.'

"Where is he now?" Pegasus asked.

"He is currently traveling with Yugi Moto and his friends, Master Pegasus."

The Creator of Duel Monsters nodded at that, coming to a decision. "Croquet, alert all the Eliminators that the bounty on Yugi Moto remains the same: 2 million for the one that removes him from the Tournament and brings him to me… and inform them I am placing the exact same bounty on Eddie-boy as well. I want him defeated and banished from my island so I might retake Kaiba-Boy's brother. " He narrowed his eyes, flexing his injured hand. "It is time I took back control of my tournament."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Man, I can't wait to take on my next opponent!" Joey said, bobbing and bouncing on the tips of his toes and doing shadow boxing moves. "That last one against that Fake Kaiba has me ready to take on anyone and everyone! I'll take on the real Kaiba! Pegasus! Heck, with how I'm feelin' I could take on both Kaiba and Pegasus… at the same time! Joey Wheeler, duelist extraordinaire!"

"Is… is he always like this?" Mokuba asked us as we followed after Joey who had sprung ahead of us and begun striking poses like he was in the Ginyu Force.

"I wouldn't know, I just joined up with this group," I stated with a shrug and an embarrassed grin.

"Well I've known him for years and yeah… he's always been like this," Tristan said with a roll of his eyes. "Always making bold claims that he can't actually back up."

"What's that supposed ta mean!?" Joey demanded, whipping around and suddenly appearing right in front of Tristan, finger held right under his chin. "I can so back up what I'm sayin'! I beat Mai, didn't I?"

"Barely," Tea said with a side glance towards Yugi, who chuckled at her comment only to clam up when Joey shot him a sour look. The short teen quickly held up his hands as Joey made him the new target for his ire.

"What, ya don't believe in me either, Yug? Don't think I have what it takes?"

"I didn't say that!" Yugi said sheepishly. "It's just…" 

"Just what?"

I pressed my tongue against the side of my cheek before chiming in. "Maybe you need to try working up to such lofty goals before declaring your future victories, Joey." I gestured at Yugi. "You don't see either of us claiming that we can win two-on-one matches against the most skilled duelists there are in the world, do you?" 

Joey opened his mouth to reply only to deflate a bit. "Yeah… yeah I guess not."

"It's not that I don't think you can big, Joey, it's just that I want you to be careful," Yugi said. "Remember what happened back on the boat against Edwin?" Joey grimaced at that.

"What happened on the boat?" Mokuba asked.

"Nothin'!" Joey said quickly. "Nothin' to share, nothin' for ya to ask about!"

But I shook my head. "Yugi and I agreed to a trade and Joey didn't think it was fair. He tried to convince me to duel to determine the odds, with me winning resulting in him giving me a few of his rare cards-"

"I don't think I said 'a few'…" Joey muttered.

"-but I refused. Which is good because I easily beat him."

"Ya didn't-" But Tea, Tristan, and I all stared him down and Joey let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah yeah, I messed up." 

"And you aren't learning from it, Joey," I said coolly. "Never gamble more than you need to because you run the risk of losing far more than you need to." I looked down at Mokuba. "A good lesson to remember when you duel people."

"I guess," Mokuba said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. I motioned for the group to stop, aware that the youngest of our fivesome could wear out far easier than the rest of us. "I actually haven't really dueled that much… in fact my match against you was my first, Yugi." In a quieter voice he admitted, "If you can call that a duel…"

Yugi patted Mokuba on the shoulder. "You did a good job-" 

"No he didn't," I said bluntly.

"Edwin!" Tea yelled, shoulders raised and head pressed against her body as she glowered at me, the sky actually getting darker thanks to her rage. "That wasn't a nice thing to say at all!" 

"But!" I quickly added, "And it's a big but! That wasn't your deck so it doesn't count!" 

"It doesn't?" Mokuba asked.

"It doesn't. You didn't know that deck, you were just randomly using it." I patted my suitcase, where the kid's stolen deck was safely secured.

"That's right, Mokuba!" Yugi said with a gentle laugh. "Until you have a deck you call your own you truly haven't dueled yet."

"Oh… oh, okay!" Mokuba said with a grin. "Well, that makes me feel better!"

"Good!" Yugi said with a grin. "You have plenty of time to build your deck and have your first duel."

"Yeah!" Joey said with a grin, ruffling Mokuba's hair. The boy didn't like that but I could tell that he also understood that Joey wasn't picking on him and was rather coming from a place of friendship. "Hey… waitaminute… if ya need to make your own deck in order to have your first true duel… does that mean Yugi hasn't had a duel yet either since he's usin' his grandpa's deck?"

I bit back a snort as Yugi's eyes went wide. Tristan and Tea didn't manage to hide their amusement though. "It doesn't work like that!" Yugi exclaimed, waving his arms about. For my part I was snickering because Joey was right but not for the reason he thought; after all, Yugi had been getting help from an undead Pharaoh since before he'd taken on Kaiba!

"I'm just askin', Yug," Joey said before he snickered. "Heeheehee… thought that does mean I've won more times than you!"

"It does not!" Yugi complained childishly.

After a few more moments of Joey and Yugi taunting each other I finally stepped in. "I think it's a little bit different if the deck is freely given AND gets modified from what it once had been." I rubbed my chin. "Though that does remind me of the Ship of Theseus Paradox."

"The Ship of Whose-Its Parydots?" Joey asked.

"Ship of Theseus Paradox," I stated, trying not to cringe at how bad Joey had mangled that. "We'll use Yugi's deck as the example. Yugi says to you "This is my grandpa's deck! He used it!" You go through it and go, "Is this his original Beaver Warrior?" and Yugi goes, "No, that one got ripped so I bought another one". And you then ask, "What about this Gaia?" and Yugi says, "Oh, that one was fading so I replaced it with a duplicate". And you go on and on and with each card Yugi explains how he replaced every card in the deck with a different one. Can you still say that Yugi's grandpa used THAT DECK if not a single card was actually used by Yugi's grandpa?" 

"Well… no! He never used it!" Joey declared.

"Okay, but when did it stop being Yugi's grandpa's deck."

Joey opened his mouth to answer that only to snap it shut.

"Huh," Tristan said, thinking that over. "That's actually a good one."

"It's a paradox. Doesn't really matter with what we were talking about but interesting to think about." I stretched my arms out high above my head. "Anyway, Mokuba, have you ever tried to put a deck together?"

"Well… kind of? I asked Seto to help but-"

"Was he too busy?" Tea asked sympathetically.

But Mokuba shook his head violently. "No way! Seto drops everything if I need help! School work, help on a project, he always puts me before everything!" He looked down and scuffed at the ground. "It's just…"

"He wasn't good at explaining how to build a deck, was he?" I asked gently. "He would begin on a subject but you'd get confused because he'd breeze by it, right?" The boy nodded glumly. "Not your fault or his. Some people just aren't that great at teaching, to be honest. Your brother knows duel monsters, he places it a ton, so for him the basics are… common place. He doesn't need to go over them because for him it would be like explaining that you have to breathe in and out… it's obvious! But he forgets that for you it's not. And that's okay, nothing against him… he just isn't designed for teaching. Maybe high end strategy, but not basics."

Yugi chimed in. "Yeah. Sometimes I forgot when I was showing Joey how to play that he didn't know all the rules and I'd get frustrated when he did something that I knew was wrong. But for him he'd never been taught that."

I nodded in thanks for that. I didn't want to make Mokuba feel down about himself or accidently insult Seto. "That said Yugi is a good teacher. I think between the two of us we can begin giving you some pointers while we look for a challenger for Joey."

"You… you mean that?"

I grinned. "Sure! And if Seto gets upset about it tell him you were secretly milking Yugi and me for information so he could beat us both, seeing as we are the only two so far to defeat his Blue-Eyes." Mokuba grinned at that, eyebrows waggling at just how Seto would react to that lie.

The next 20 minutes were spent explaining to Mokuba the basics of the game. Not even how the turns worked but the different types of cards and their pros and cons. Monsters, spells, and traps. The Extra deck stuff I left to Yugi as in this world those things were… odd. I knew that for the most part characters didn't actually need to have physical fusion cards when they played the game but apparently they DID exist. It was merely that they were one of the few things not required. A fusion card was a… status symbol. You didn't need it, as simply having a picture of it in an official rule book (or using a dueling platform to handle all that) was enough but actually having a fusion card meant that you were rather special. Mokuba had mentioned that Seto was still seeking out the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, as that card was so rare it was question if it'd even been printed.

"There is a Blue-Eyes ULTIMATE Dragon?" Yugi asked, much to my amusement.

"Yeah! They don't even mention it in the guide books because it's so rare, according to Seto. But he knows it exists because he did some training using a duel terminal system and ran through every possible fusion there could be done with his deck and discovered it. Three Blue-Eyes Whit Dragons merged into the ultimate form." 

'Except for Neo Ultimate Dragon and Alternative and Twin Burst,' I thought to myself. "What, you've never tried that yourself, Yugi?" I asked.

"Honestly no," Yugi admitted. "I didn't have a lot of time to play around with the cards in my grandpa's deck. I know the cards that I use and what they can fuse with but not if his and mine are compatible."

"You might want to consider it then," I pointed out. "That way you can figure out what cards you are going to focus on as the theme of your deck."

"Theme?" Yugi asked. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged even though inside my head I was working myself into a tizzy over getting ready to completely alter the timeline by dropping some game theory on Yugi Fucking Moto. A part of me was screaming that I needed to avoid mucking things up, as I could end up causing Yugi to toss away a card he'd need in the future. The other part of me pointed out that he used Mushroom Man and Watapon and thus his deck couldn't get any worse than THAT.

"Duel Monsters is a young game," I stated, adopting the same tone I'd used when I taught training classes at work or led New Hire Orientations. Easy flow, loud enough for everyone to hear, and a smoothness that covered up the fact that half the time I was throwing the damn script away and just talking off the top of my head. "There are how many cards out there right now? 200? 300? Roughly that. They add more every few months but there isn't a lot to pull from. So you don't have a lot of choices, and it gets worse with rarities. And it's harder if you want to build a deck around a theme… a monster, a type, an attribute. You don't have much to select from to make it work. Look at my deck." I pulled out my deck box, used my Uncle's key to open it up, and pulled out my cards. "Endymion is my main monster. I have Crusader and Rogue and Lab. That's it really. Breaker and Defender help but I really don't have much else. So I have to use other cards like those birds I used against that fraud. The birds are fine, don't get me wrong, but they don't fit the theme." 

"Okay," Mokuba said, brow furrowed as he joined in. "But you said that Yugi needed to pick out a theme to focus on… but you also said that it's really hard to do so. That doesn't make sense."

"It's hard RIGHT NOW. But every few weeks Industrial Illusions is putting new cards out. They are swelling up the card pool. And not just new cards but cards that support older cards."

"Oh, like with Mai's Harpie cards!" Yugi said.

"Exactly. Eventually the game will be large enough that Yugi could build a deck around that dragon he used against you, Mokuba. They might make all sorts of Fortress monsters with spells or traps to work with them. For now he couldn't… be he can weed out what cards aren't working when new ones come out, figure out what he is most comfortable with. How your brother duels and how Yugi duels are going to be completely different. That's actually why Seto destroying the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that belonged to Mr. Moto was so stupid. A Blue-Eyes doesn't fit with how Yugi duels. Wouldn't fit how I duel. So even if Mr. Moto had wanted to use it he'd never have been able to use it properly."

"Huh," Mokuba said, considering that. "But what about me? I don't even have a deck yet."

"Then you need to begin thinking about what you'd like your deck to do and then find cards that work with that. Do you want to overwhelm your opponent with strong monsters? Or use spells that power up your monsters? Or burn damage? Or destroy them with effects? Or… whatever Joey does?" Yugi and Mokuba chuckled at that. "Think about what's comfortable for you. Once you decide that then we can begin looking to get you cards."

"W-we?" Mokuba asked. "You mean… after Duelist Kingdom…?"

"Unless Seto wants to help you and make it a brother bonding thing, I'd be more than happy to help."

"Me too!" Yugi said quickly. "My grandpa runs a game shop after all so he'll have all sorts of resources we can you!"

"Hey Mokuba!" Tea called out, motioning for him to jog ahead and join her.

Once Yugi and I were alone the teen looked up at me and smiled. "That was really nice of you to help him out."

"He's had a rough life, especially these last few weeks. Orphaned, adopted father a MASSIVE icehole, overprotective big brother, and now all this kidnapping nonsense…" I shook my head. "He needs some happiness in his life." I glanced at Yugi. "We all do. Tristan told me about your grandpa." 

He hadn't. But it was a good lie to cover up knowledge I shouldn't have had.

"I know it might be hard to believe-"

"Yugi… I told you all when I took on Pennywise the Dance Fraud… I've seen things you wouldn't believe. Ancient magic and trapping souls? Not that hard to swallow." I clenched my jaw. "Pegasus has a lot to answer for."

"Seems like all of us are here because of desperate reasons. Me, Mokuba, Joey-"

"What did Pegasus do to him?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing with Pegasus… Joey's sister has this… she's going blind and there is an operation that could save her sight but it just costs a lot. $3 million. His mom can't afford that so he wants to win the tournament so he can get her the operation."

I stuffed my hands in my pockets. "…so we're giving him the money if either of us win, right?" 

Yugi started at that. "What?" 

"You and I. Either of us win and Joey's sister gets the money. Assuming we can't get it another way…" I thought of Kaiba's deck that was locked in my suitcase, a plan forming in my head.

"You'd do that?" Yugi asked.

I tapped my glasses. "My right eye is so screwed up I can't see anything more than 6 inches away from me without these. That's just blurriness. Going blind? No one deserves that. She gets the money."

Yugi nodded, smiling at that. "I think Serenity would appreciate that…" He frowned slightly. "Not sure about Joey though. He's really proud… would be hard for him to accept." 

"I get being proud but there is having your dignity and being a moron. Refusing that kind of gift? Moron."

The teen looked at him, eyes narrowed. "What is with you, anyway?"

"Hmmm?"

"One minute you are being all nice to Mokuba and giving Serenity your prize money the next you are calling everyone names. Joey-"

"I've heard you and Tristan make jokes about him."

"That's different."

"Is it?" I pressed.

Yugi shifted at that. "We're his friends. He teases us, we tease him. We still care about each other. But you… when you say it the words come off as really cruel. You did the same with that guard of Pegasus' and with that imposter Kaiba. You just kept mocking them and needling them. You didn't let up. It wasn't right."

I glowered at Yugi, taking a breath before I spoke so I didn't risk lashing out and saying something harsh that I'd regret. "Let's tackle the latter two. Kemo, and yes I did remember his name, and that Fraud were trying to capture a boy who had just escaped being kidnapped. Both work for someone using black magic to steal souls. The Fraud was using a stolen deck. No… they don't deserve a lick of my respect. In fact that's what they desperately wanted and I refused to give it to them. I wasn't going to let them feel like they mattered to me. I would not blink an eye if they were wiped off the face of the earth… which I might add you apparently did."

Yugi cringed at that. "I'm… I'm not sure what I did. There are times when I feel like a completely different person and I'm facing people that just… I know are evil or broken and I need to deal with them." He looked down at his hands. "I don't know what I did to that Fraud but I know that if he had truly possessed a good heart he'd still be here."

"And I knew when I heard all the crap he'd done that he didn't have a good heart. Thus he gets mocked and belittled." I bit back the retort of 'If I could use dark magic would that make it fine if I called him 'sir'?'. I knew that wouldn't go over well.

"I guess I see your point… but it doesn't feel right to me to be so harsh. You need to show you are better than them."

"I did show that."

"I didn't mean in the duel."

"I didn't either. I meant that I didn't kidnap Kemo, force him to stay in a cell, and then use him as leverage against his family."

Yugi shifted at that. I could tell he saw the logic to all my points but his damn stubborn ingrained belief in integrity of all, even when it was counterproductive and/or stupid, was too hard to break down. And I wasn't exactly sure that breaking it was something that I wanted to. Last thing I needed was to turn him into Chazz from GX. I adjusted my Tigers cap and waited for him to speak.

"But what about your comments about Joey? Just because you don't agree with him-"

I held up my hand. "It is more than not agreeing with him." I sighed, rocking my head back and forth. "I don't tolerate fools. And I don't mean people who aren't smarter than me though I do sometimes snap at them. No, for me a fool is someone who makes life harder than it needs to be. Joey has a problem… a big one. A massive one. I'm not downplaying that. But… you are telling me that even if I offered him a solution he wouldn't take it because of his moronic pride. Let me put it like this: if I disappeared for 2 hours and came back with your grandpa's soul in a little sugar dish and said, "I stole back your grandpa's soul. Let's go shove this baby back into him!" would you wave me off and go, "No no, can't do that, please put it back in Pegasus' kitchen because I'd rather defeat him on my own"?"

"Of course not!" Yugi exclaimed only to blink. "Oh." 

"Yeah. Joey makes things harder on himself. He made things harder on the ship when he didn't like the trade you and I set up. He rushed off to take on Mai Valentine and yeah he won but he could have very easily lost. It would have been better for him to have a duel with someone who wasn't an international player of this game. And he won't accept charity because he sees it as an insult instead of a kindness. That makes him a foghorning fool and I'm not ashamed to say it."

We were silent the rest of the way and I was a bit surprised to see a large gathering of other duelists milling about, trading cards and chatting with each other. I'd forgotten about this part of the show, only remembering that Mai got Rex to duel Joey and it got him his Red-Eyes. I vaguely hoped that Mai wouldn't resort to such tactics this time around, that maybe me calling her out would have an impact, but I knew that wasn't the case. People didn't change because of a single encounter, even in this fictional world I found myself in.

"Huh…wonder what made everyone bunch up like this," I muttered as he looked at everyone.

"Who cares… now maybe mister Big Shot Duelist can find his next opponent!" Tristan teased.

Joey began to lip off to him and I looked over at Tea who shared an eyeroll with me. "I'm going to walk around, get some info. Wait for me, okay?" Tea nodded and I motioned for Mokuba to follow. He'd pulled his hat on as soon as we saw the large group and was keeping his head down. "Stick with me, okay? Believe it or not I do trust Pegasus to keep his word on not going after you so long as you're with me on the island. But I can see him taking advantage if you wander off."

"I'm not a baby," Mokuba complained.

"I know but Kemo has no problem beating up babies, let alone mature young men like you. So stay close."

Most of the duelists that were milling around didn't pay much attention to us, busy swapping stories, cards, and a few even supplies. I mentally debated taking advantage of hungry duelists by trading some of my food for cards but decided against it; with Mokuba now glued to my side I needed to make sure there was enough for both of us. Especially as now I was debating if I would be able to enter the castle with him. It was tempting though and the natural avarice that made me want money, lots and lots of money, I want to fly in the sky, was singing to begin cutting deals. But instead I looked to try and find someone who might be willing to pass some information-

"Ah, I see another competitor has joined our little non-aggression area," a heavily accented voice said from behind me.

-and it seemed the info-giver had found me instead.

I was a bit surprised to find that the person who'd approached me was closer to my age than Yugi's. I had never been good at pegging people for how old they were, always going favorable (kids were older than I thought, grannies younger), but the man in front of me had to be in his 20s. Red hair topped his head, spiking on either side so that they looked a touch like dog ears. He also had a soul patch that made me wish my stupid beard would grow in already, and thick eyebrows that looked ready to fly right off his face.

His outfit though showed me this was no mere background character. He wore a blue coat with long tails, golden buttons in two rows running up the front, a huge collar that reached halfway up the back of his head, and red cuffs. Cream colored khakis with high boors finished the outfit, making me instantly think 'pirate' for some reason.

"Non-aggression area?" I asked.

"Yes. No duels allowed, no challenges either. One can only meet with others, swap cards and tales, and relax. Did you not see that in the rule book?" the newcomer said. His nationality was very hard to deduce as it seemed that he fluctuated from French to Spanish to Italian. A fiery latin undercurrent no matter what but what flag he'd been born under I couldn't tell. "You can see the markers there and there." He gestured at some trees and sure enough someone had put down some red stakes, creating an invisible boundary that began a few feet from where Joey and the rest of the gang was standing.

"That seems rather basic compared to what Pegasus has set up," Mokuba stated and I found myself agreeing with him on that assessment.

"Perhaps that is because I… forced the issue," the man said. "I informed Mr. Pegasus that if he wished for me to be a part of this tournament he would agree to certain requirements. This area was one; my having my own boat to leave on was another. He was most desperate to have me involved, as my connections would allow him to gain others to assist, so in the end he agreed." He tugged on his beard, face thoughtful. "Perhaps that is why you do not know? When did you receive your rule book?"

"A few days ago, came in a special care package." 

"Hmmm, I can not be sure then."

I took in the man carefully before a shock of fear shot right from my crown all the way to my toes. I threw out my arm in front of Mokuba and was ready to call for the others but the other man, seeing me tense, let out a sigh and took a step back.

"I see you have already encountered one of my number," he stated before looking down at Mokuba. "And am I right to suspect that this same one attempted to collect on Mr. Kaiba here's bounty?"

"You're like that fraud who pretended to be my brother!" Mokuba snapped, a bit louder than I would have liked. A sideways glance showed that Yugi and his friends… were busy making fun of Joey and not noticing that we were having issues. Because of course.

"I am an Eliminator, yes. But I am NOT like many of them. I brought the uomini in with my connections but I do not associate with them. They are not mon équipe! And let me assure you I have no interest in what other games Mr. Pegasus might be attempting to play on this island. The capturing of children? Fah! I do not do such things!" He slammed his right arm against his chest in a salute. "I am an Eliminator, I am here to test duelists and give them a chance to rise or fall in the ranks. No more, no less. It is not my task to commit such underhand schemes as the other Eliminators will engage in!"

To my own surprise I found myself believing him. Maybe it was because I'd never seen him on the show and thus had nothing tainting my opinion of him. Maybe it was just some natural sixth sense I'd gained in coming to this world. Maybe I was just tired and wanted to believe that there could be people other than Yugi and his friends and Mako who were decent people on this island and not cheating fiends. Whatever the reason I slowly lowered my arm and nodded in acceptance.

"Edwin Chaos. And you know Mokuba Kaiba, who is currently under my protection." I held out my hand, my name said in politeness, Mokuba's as a warning.

"Renard Volpe," the Eliminator told me returning the handshake. "Now, I must warn you that while I do not seek to claim Mr. Kaiba for Mr. Pegasus if I do come upon you in the field I will be forced to duel you. And I am aware of the stipulation placed upon you."

I sighed at that. "So long as Mokuba is with me and so long as I am in this tournament he is untouchable. Meaning Pegasus just made me Public Enemy #1." 

"#2, actually," Renard stated. "Mr. Moto is #1, Mr. Kaiba here's older brother is #2, along with you. The young Mr. Kaiba is #3."

"So I have a high bounty all the same," I muttered, knowing it was really stupid to think so but still pleased that in Pegasus' eyes I was on the same level as Yugi and Seto.

"Wait, my brother?" Mokuba asked. "Pegasus wants my brother? You mean he's here?"

"Or will be," I said before Renard could answer. "You think for a moment he won't come to save you if he has the chance?" I pulled out my phone. "I've sent texts to my uncle about all this… hold on…" I paused, held the camera back as far as I could, and took a shot of Mokuba and myself before sending that along. "…there. Anyway, I've sent him texts about everything that has happened and asked him to try and find a way to contact Seto. Smartest thing he could do is stay away, get the authorities involved, and they get you and I off the island and deal with Pegasus."

"Nuh uh, no way does Seto do that. He'll want to handle this himself… Pegasus made it personal."

"I agree. So that means he is coming it's just a matter of when he does." I looked at Renard. "I suppose you can't give me a head start to get out of here before you challenge me?" 

"I am not challenging anyone this evening," Renard said with a shrug. "I wish to make sure the rules of the non-aggression area are followed. So as long as you aren't here after the moon rises then I won't follow after you. Should we meet though after that…" He gave a shrug.

"Fair enough. So tonight we're just two guys surrounded by kids hopped up on competition and sugar. Speaking off… Mokuba, grabbed something to eat from my bag. Not the suitcase, the backpack slung over the tent. I have a feeling with the way Joey is going we are going to be having midnight snacks instead of supper." Mokuba nodded and began to rummage through my bag while I turned back to Renard. "So, I'm guessing you are a professional duelist?" He nodded his head. "So how'd you get roped into doing this instead of competing? I'd have thought the title of King of Games and a $3 million prize would be a pretty strong draw."

Renard chuckled at that, waving his hand dismissively. "The title means little to me. That isn't my dream and if I were to claim it then I'd be depriving another. Now the money-" here I can literally see the dollar signs in his eyes and behind him the world turned to a gradient with golden coins raining down, "-that is… tempting…" He snapped back to normal and I wondered if I was going to develop a tumor with all the world altering anime did. Well, better than Hellsing Ultimate and their freaky animation joke bits. "However there are only two chances to claim that prize. I am getting $60,000 guaranteed for being here. I will take guaranteed money."

"But that doesn't sound like that much at all!" Mokuba complained only to clam up when I shot him a dark look. "Uh… or is it for people whose brother doesn't run a multibillion dollar company?"

"Got it in one. Good job."

"Tell me, Mr. Chaos, why are you here?" 

I'd been asking myself that very question a lot… how had I ended up stuck in an anime. One with 4kids censoring to boot. But I figured he was looking for the in-universe answer and said, "My uncle broke his leg so I came in his place. I'm reporting on what has happened… I don't think Pegasus thought this through, having a reporter on site to see him kidnapping children and committing hostile takeovers." Or he had and he knew he could get away with it… that dark little thought danced through my head. I was hopefully that it was merely a case of Yugi never bothering to go to the cops but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was dealing with billionaires who took the law and rewrote it with a sharpie. Getting my uncle involved was a risk, as if Pegasus did get arrested after Duelist Kingdom it may affect the Wake the Dragons Arc but honestly I hoped that by the time we reached that point I'd have worked out a way to deal with Dartz without needed Pegasus to give Yugi a blank card, should he manage to wiggle his way out of things.

"So winning… it is not your dream?" Renard asked and I felt an odd tickle on the back of my brain. I was getting conflicting Deju Vu from the Eliminator and I didn't quite get why.

"No. I won't say no to the money but it's not my dream." 

"And what is?"

Mokuba spoke up before I could answer. "What do you mean? What dream? Like when you sleep?"

"No no no… I mean what he longs for. The dream that drives him."

One Piece. That was the first tickle. This was One Piece and that everyone had a dream they wished to achieve. Odd choice but hey, guy from another world stuck in a place with ancient Egyptian magic. Not one to cast judgment.

Renard squatted down so he could look at Mokuba better. "For you see… all men dream. But not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity." 

I chimed in, Renard's eyes going wide with delight as I continued to famous verse. "But the dreamers of the day… are dangerous men. For they my act their dream with open eyes. To make it possible."

Together the two of us intoned, "This… I did."

We grew silent and I truly thought about what Renard had asked me. What was my dream? Why was I doing what I was doing? Yugi wanted to save his grandpa. Kaiba his brother and his company. Joey his sister. Pegasus wanted to bring Cecelia back to life. Some wanted glory, others wealth. What was my dream? What did I want in this world? Why had I decided to get involved?

I looked down at Mokuba and had my answer.

"There are powers at work in this world. Gods and immortals and the like. Dark magic and heroic souls. And when my time here is done I want to be able to look them right in the eye… and spit in their faces before telling them I did more good than they ever did." I placed my hand on Mokuba's shoulder.

Renard nodded at that. "A bold dream. But a worthy one."

"And you? What do you dream of Renard?"

The Eliminator smiled wistfully. "I have been alone for a long time, Mr. Chaos. It is by choice… for my dream is to find those I belong with. My captain. My crew. The ones who will have my back as fiercely as I will have theirs. True companions and whatever our goals may be… we would see it done." He looked past us. "I see your friends are leaving and I imagine you will do the same. When we next meet we will be opponents… but I hope not enemies."

"Not enemies," I said, thinking how it would be nice to have someone that, while I needed to go against him if we did meet on the island, wouldn't be gunning for my head. "Come on Mokuba, I have a feeling Joey did something very stupid." We began to jog after the gang, Mokuba munching on the granola bar he'd grabbed, me yanking my bag behind me, only for to stop short. "Don Karnage." 

"What?"

I threw my head skyward. "Don Karnage. That's what I was… never mind." I shook my head. 'Of all the references? Well… at least Alto wasn't Baloo.'

~MC~MC~MC~

Seto Kaiba should have been focused on getting to the private airport.

He should have been focused on if the Big 5 had learned about his private airport, or if they knew he had his pilot's license.

He should have been focused on what his plan was once he got to Duelist Kingdom in order to ensure that his company was secure and Pegasus and the Big 5 never attempted to take what was his ever again.

He should have been focused on the ramifications that so many of his employees had turned on him, happy to betray him and Mokuba. Some for money, some for promises of promotion, some for fear of the Big 5 when it was HIM they should have been worried about. The entire KaibaCorp security team would need to be eliminated, what with Kemo being a part of the entire plot. The attack on his mansion also showed the need to completely revamp those hired to watch out for him. Digital security too, since no one had noticed what was going on. Then there would be needing to look into the Big 5's associates… he didn't care if they didn't know anything about their plot everyone from the highest manager to the secretary for those old men would be shown the door. He couldn't risk it.

But he wasn't focused on any of these things.

One thought was ringing through his head.

'Edwin Chaos defeated my deck.'

Not him. That was the only consolation to all of this. Merely his deck, wielded by a hired goon of Pegasus' who'd tried to impersonate him but, from the audio Seto had heard, Edwin had at least not been fooled by it. Mokuba neither but he'd never doubted for a second that his brother would be able to see through such a pathetic ploy.

Seto had begun digging into Industrial Illusions' computer records the moment the duel was done, able to get a few files downloaded before someone had finally realized he was there and sent their own virus at his computers to try and shut him completely down. It hadn't worked, as his AI was just too cunning for that, but it had meant that the information valve was shut completely and wouldn't be opening any time too soon. Oh, he could have broken through again but it would have taken time and he didn't have that. Not with his brother and his company at stake. So he had to make do with what he'd managed to grab. Unfortunately he didn't have anything that explained just what Pegasus' endgame was with trying to take his company; Seto knew though there had to be one.

'Pegasus isn't someone who makes such a bold move on a whim,' he thought as he took a sharp curve along the road before loosening his grip on the steering wheel, letting the leather slide along his fingers as the wheel rotated back to the proper position and he could once more hit the gas. 'He likes to appear as a casual fop when people are around but the man has a mind nearly as sharp as mine. It's all an act, a way to put people at ease… and lower their guard. This whole Duelist Kingdom is far too grand and too quickly thrown together to be anything other than a shade to hide what he's really doing and claiming KaibaCorp… that isn't his endgame. It's just a stepping stone to something else. But what?'

Seto was forced to finally stop when he came to a railroad crossing, two other vehicles in front of him watching as the cars rumbled by on the track. Reaching over he grabbed the files he'd managed to snag from Pegasus' database and print out before he was booted from the system and began to look them over. It wasn't much but it did give him an edge: these were the profiles of the Eliminators that Pegasus had hired to weed out the duelists that were competing… and deal with any threats to Pegasus' plan, of course.

He was able to quickly separate them into two groups. The first were those that were legitimate duelists who competed in tournaments and enjoyed the game. The biggest name there was Renard Volpe, the European Champion, The Crimson Fox, and someone that even Seto had heard of. The man was honorable to a fault with his only real pressure point being that he hated cheats. Having him had let Pegasus bring in a few bigger players to act as Eliminators. Edgar Wight, Congo Cornella, Nikolas Edison, the Paradox Brothers…

But then there were people who had absolutely vile reputations and had been brought to the island to be Pegasus' muscle. PaniK, who kept having to change his name whenever he received permanent bans; Pain Killer, Player Killer of Darkness,Yamitsukai… honestly the list when on and on. Then there was The Puppeteer and after Seto had taken a look at some of the photos of his… hobbies… he'd locked the documents away, deciding that when this was settled he'd turn them over to the police. Then there was Bruno Hadrian who didn't look like much at all… in fact Seto would have bet all his fortune on Mokuba being able to knock out the punk with a single punch, but his viciousness showed he was someone to be wary of. One of the last sheets was on the Mimic of Doom, the thief that had used his stolen deck against Edwin Chaos.

'The man who beat my deck.'

The train finally passed and Seto revved the car's engine, barely waiting for the final car in the other lane to get by before he cranked it to 100 and passed everyone in front of him. Somewhere on Duelist Kingdom were the only two duelists to defeat his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. One had defeated him by summon a legend. The other had defeated an imposter by turning the might of the Blue-Eyes against itself. And now the two of them had his brother with them, but for how long?

It didn't matter.

He made a hard right into the private airfield, pleased to see that his helicopter was already waiting for him.

'Pegasus. Yugi. Mokuba.' He paused. 'Edwin. I'm coming to Duelist Kingdom… and I will have answers.'

~MC~MC~MC~

'I am a detective for the Domino Police department.'

The fact that Yuri had to keep reminder herself of that fact spoke to her situation… and how displeasing it truly was.

Being the youngest member of the department, at an age where, as her captain liked to remind her time and time again, she still got carded if she went to an R Rated movie, she was getting stuck with the crap assignments. Not the dangerous ones, no no. Even those could offer some prestige. She got the mediocre tasks and cases. And in Domino, one of the safest cities in the country, that truly was saying something.

There were normal crimes to be sure… about 6 months ago there had been the hostage situation at Burger World involving Jiro the Jorogumo; Yuri hadn't been involved with that but from what she had heard she was glad she had been stuck dealing with an old woman convinced someone was taking her paper and purposely adding fake pages. The hostage had gotten out okay but Jiro had been found screaming that he was on fire, writhing on the floor as he beat the imagined flames. Last she heard they'd had to keep him sedated as the trauma was stressing his heart. Then there was the Rintama Gang from about 4 months ago that had caused trouble but even that was nothing compared to other cities. In America they had mobsters shooting at anything that moved… in Domino the gangs used Yo-Yos of all things.

'Flippin' Yo-Yos,' she thought to herself as she made her way past the empty desks and towards the interview room, pausing only for a moment to make sure that she at least looked decent. It wouldn't do for her dark shoulder-length hair to be a mess or to discover that she'd missed a button on the blouse she was wearing under her black jacket. First impressions were vital, especially when so many people looked at her youthful face and instantly dismissed her as a child playing at an adult's game. That was part of the reason she went with so little make-up… too much and she looked like some sorority sister out on the town. 'Better than when I had to wear the uniform,' she thought, remembering how many times someone had gotten too handsy with her thinking she was going to a costume party; though she had enjoyed twisting their arms around their back and slamming them to the ground. That was always fun.

But Yuri got the crap cases each and every time. The time wasters. The dull as paint ones where there was no crime just some bored or lonely person who thought something bad was happening but in reality it was merely their imagination or them making much out of nothing. The old lady on the edge of town who complained that the neighborhood kids were karate-chopping her fence posts. The apartment dweller who wanted someone to come and tell his upstairs neighbors to pipe it down… their footsteps made it hard for him to blare his big swing albums at full blast. The woman who called the cops because the grocery store wouldn't accept her coupons and then when Yuri pointed out they'd expired a year ago was told that clearly they had altered the dates on them. Stuff that not even patrol officers had to deal with dropped on her desk to keep her busy.

The why she got those cases was so many folded that it might as well been an origami swan.

Stepping into the interview room she couldn't help but be a bit startled by who was waiting for her and that must have shown on her features as the man cocked his head to the side, regarding her.

"Expecting someone else?" 

"Yes, actually," Yuri admitted. "Normally at this late at night when I get a call to come in here there is a guy in rags wondering why he couldn't bring his bottle in with him or a crazy old lady with fifteen cats popping out of her jacket. You?" She gestured at the man, who was finely put together in his tailored suit and expensive watch save for the cast on his leg. "You aren't the usual fare." 

"Well, I have a feeling what I'm bringing you isn't your usual fair."

"In this line of work the usual is the unusual." Yuri took a seat. "Detective Yuri Gander."

"Kipling Chaos."

That gave her pause. In all areas of Domino there were families who were respected and feared, both in equal measure. The Saitōs and the Cullmins if you looking for a good meal. The Taylors for furniture. Itōs are who you went to see if you wanted only the best medical care money could buy. So on. Yuri was used to that herself as the Gardner family had been involved with law enforcement for over a century. But there were always names that were a cut above the others, the ones that really made doors open and people leap out of the way. The Kaibas were the biggest one right now.

The name 'Chaos' was also growing.

Kipling Chaos had taken a small fortune and a knack and finding talent and turned it into a media empire. Chaos Communications had the highest rated 24 Hour news channel in all of Japan and was making inroads to be the biggest in America as well. They had stakes in half a dozen newspapers. Their radio broadcasters covered everything from hard rock to sports. Even their internet business was doing well. It had made the name Chaos be synonymous with 'king maker' and 'the breaker of reigns'; when they decided to focus in on you one prayed it was for the right reasons.

And Yuri had the CEO sitting in her interview room.

"What can I do for you sir?"

Kipling smiled and gestured towards a folder he'd brought in. "Normally this is something I'd just handle with my network. It was filed by a reporter, after all. And make no mistake, detective, we will be running with this tomorrow. But… given the nature of the situation I wanted to be polite and give the police a heads up." He tapped the folder but made no move to open it. "Tell me… how much do you know about Duel Monsters."

"Not much, other than everyone seems to be playing it," she said.

"Not a fan?"

"Just don't have the time, honestly." The other detectives made fun of her for that, as they were always pulling out decks when things were slow and playing a few duels. She didn't even have a deck of her own, just odd monster cards that her co-workers had pulled from their decks and tossed to her as a joke. Yuri couldn't even remember half of the cards she had… the only ones that came to mind at that moment were Satellarknight Sirius and Gusto Falco. She had a feeling if she did play her 'deck', if she could even call it that, wouldn't be winning her anything.

Kipling shrugged. "Currently there is a tournament being held by Maxamillion Pegasus on his private island in the Pacific. Duelist Kingdom. I was invited to attend but-" he gestured towards his leg, "-so I sent my nephew, Edwin, to go in my place. Both to compete and to report on the details. What he has revealed is… concerning." 

"Concerning how?" Yuri asked.

Kipling took out a photo and passed it to Yuri. It was a touch blurry and she instantly recognized that had been taken with a phone's camera, but still she could see well enough the smiling face of a young boy, maybe 11 or 12 years old, standing with two young men, a few other people in the background. One had brown hair and a caramel colored jacket, the other one a shaggy blonde mane and a green coat. They were, if Yuri had to guess, in high school but not quite close to graduating yet.

"Do you recognize the boy there?" Kipling asked before pulling out a shot from a newspaper. "How about now?" 

"Mokuba Kaiba," Yuri said in surprise. "Seto Kaiba is famous for sheltering the boy… what is he doing on this island?"

"Surviving, despite what the picture might have you believe. According to my nephew he discovered that Maxamillion kidnapped Mokuba Kaiba when his brother Seto went missing and brought him to the island."

"Max… the game developer? He kidnapped someone?" she found that hard to believe. "Wait… Seto Kaiba is missing?" She shook her head. "No. I'm afraid your source is wrong on that. We'd have heard if he were missing."

"Not if those that are after him are covering it up while Kaiba himself is laying low," Kipling challenged. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "My nephew interviewed the younger Kaiba." He pressed play and turned the phone so Yuri could see Mokuba standing in a clearing, some sort of large colorful piece of machinery just behind him. The blonde from the photo seemed to be arguing with a shorter young man in green with a cap on while a rather busty blonde woman and a short man with wild spikey hair were watching.

"Alright Mokuba," a man's voice said, the person holding the camera Yuri wager, said. "Tell me how you ended up on the island." 

"Well… Seto had been acting weird ever since he lost to Yugi…"

What followed was a tale of corporate espionage, hostile takeovers, and disgusting dealings that made Yuri's skin crawl. The highest echelons of Kaibacorp had conspired to murder their CEO and use his younger brother to give control of the company to Pegasus. The Industrial Illusions owner had in turn kept Mokuba locked in his castle like he was some demented middle ages lord… and according to Edwin the man had also attacked some kid named Yugi's grandfather and put him in the hospital then blackmailed the boy into coming to the tournament. Mokuba described being struck and manhandled by Pegasus' staff (with Edwin Chaos chiming in that the man was named Kemo) and also hiring criminals to enforce Pegasus' will on the island.

The video finally ended with the camera being turned and Yuri seeing Edwin for the first time; nice enough looking man, no movie star good looks but decent all the same. Of course that was partially marred by the intense burning gaze he was sporting.

"Uncle Kipling," he said, juggling the camera slightly, "I'm doing all I can to protect Mokuba. I was able to gamble on a duel to secure his freedom but it won't last forever. Pegasus has put a bounty on my head, along with Seto Kaiba and Yugi Moto, and he isn't going to stop until I am eliminated… or worse. And the moment I can no longer compete he is going to take Mokuba and this time lock him in a dungeon. The others don't want to get the authorities involved… Pegasus claims to know the Dark Magic and sorcery and that has them freaked out. They'd rather just play the duels, win the tournament, and force Pegasus to surrender. I'm not as confident. At best the man is a criminal and conartist but I'm growing more worried we have a cult leader on our hands. We need HELP. We need a way off this beaver dam island-" he paused, weirdly bemused by that statement but then pressed on, "-and we need it ASAP. And at worst… I need the world to know what Pegasus did here. So we all can be avenged." The camera shifted again, whirling to reveal more people nearby Edwin and Mokuba, before the recording ended.

"As you can see," Kipling said, "things are not right on that island. They need-"

Yuri wasn't paying attention. Instead she backed up the video to the final seconds of Edwin's message.

"So we all can be avenged," Edwin said. She hit pause and slowly began to cycle through the video, play-pause-play-pause…

Yuri froze. She hadn't been mistaken the first time she'd seen it. There, in the final moments, she could see a group of teenagers. The spike-haired kid, shaggy blonde, trenchcoat brunette, the busty lady, the stocking hat guy…

…and a familiar brown-haired teen in a pink outfit.

The detective pulled out her phone.

"Excuse me? Detective?" Kipling asked but she held out her finger, motioning for him to stay silent.

"Come on, come on…" Yuri muttered as her cell rang before, finally, she heard a voice on the other end.

"Yuri? What is-"

"Dad," Yuri said firmly, "do you and Charlotte know where Tea is?"


	6. Duelist Kingdom Part 4- Gambler's Ruin

'This is going just as I had hoped!' Mai thought to herself as she watched that pathetic miscreant of a duelist Joey Wheeler struggle against Rex Raptor and his dino deck. 'That fool Joey fell right for my trap. I knew if I played on his ego he'd rush into facing Rex without a second thought. He's like all little boys, so sure of themselves but the moment you press them they crumple like a paper bag.' She watched as the blonde twerp's Axe Raider, that he'd been crowing about moments earlier, was destroyed by Rex's Sword Arm of Dragon, leaving him once more with no cards on the field. Which was frankly becoming the story of the duel: Joey summoned something, thought he finally had a solution, and then was brought back into the mud where he belonged. 'Soon Rex will defeat Joey and get back the Star Chip Joey won off me. Which, after I defeat Rex, will be right back in my dueling glove.' She glowered a bit as Joey set a monster and a card in his Spell/Trap Zone. She hated it to no end that Joey had one of her Star Chips. It didn't matter that none of the other competitors knew that... she did. It was a mark of shame, a taint on her standing as a duelist, that the oaf would lumber from duel to duel thanks to one of HER Star Chips. She would get it back and everything would be right!

'And,' she thought to herself, 'I will beat Rex rather easily after watching him reveal his entire deck to me taking on Joey!' The dino-doofus didn't even see what he was doing! Mai knew that Rex wouldn't be able to resist pulling out all the stops to crush Joey, thinking that doing so would impress her. 'As if. Rex is merely Joey with a bit more skill, that's all. I saw that when I dueled him for his room and I see it now. He'll throw out every trump card he has, reveal his weak combos and tactics, and then me and my Harpies will crush him!'

Yes, everything was working out just as Mai wanted.

So why wasn't she happy?

She should have been grinning ear to ear. Her plan had worked! She'd tricked Rex into doing her dirty work and then goaded Joey into a duel he wasn't at all prepared for. She'd even gotten Yugi to butt out, keeping his backseat dueling out of the match, and Joey had alienated his little cheering squad with his attitude. Already the tall kid had stormed off and with how Joey was acting she wouldn't be surprised if the girl and even Yugi abandoned him! He would be alone... like a loser like him should be. Every time his lifepoints ticked down was a step closer to her victory that would taste oh so sweet!

So why did she feel so...empty?

Mai found herself unable to focus on the duel as her mind drifted to only a handful of minutes earlier. Joey had just punched out his friend and Rex had continued to egg the boy on, even after he had accepted the challenge. Mai had challenged his manhood one more time, just in case he was thinking of backing down, only to notice Joey and his friends to look up and beyond her. She'd turned… and seen him.

Edwin Chaos.

He had been with some kid but that hadn't mattered to Mai because the way he was looking at her… she'd seen that look before. Heck, _she'd_ looked at plenty of people the same way. It spoke of disgust, of seeing someone, something, that was so beneath the other person that they weren't even worthy of a second of their time. Edwin had looked right at her, his eyes searching her own before he just kept walking towards Joey and his friends, not even acknowledging her existence. They might as well have been complete strangers rather than two people who had spent an afternoon together. And enjoyable afternoon, Mai could admit, even if it hadn't worked out how she'd wished.

"Hey! Who the heck are you?" Rex had snarled, clenching his fists together and taking a step towards Edwin. "If you've come here to muscle in on my duel then just forget it! I'm taking on Wheeler, you hear me?" 

He hadn't even responded to Rex. He'd merely turned his head, his glasses flashing in the light of the setting sun, and Rex had clammed up at the piercing gaze.

"You gonna get on me too?" Joey had said sternly when Edwin shifted his focus back on him. "Well save it… I'm duelin' him no matter what you have to say-"

"I saw everything that happened," Edwin said. Though he kept his voice low the tone was like that of a king passing judgment upon a beggar. "Everything. I have nothing to say to any of you." There had been nothing rude about what he said yet… to everyone's ears it had come off as the most cutting of insults. With that he 'd moved to stand with the kid away from the others, a clear divide between himself and Joey and his friends. That had shaken the blonde twerp, Mai could tell that, but in the end Joey had finally nodded to Rex and the dueling platform, which was only a short distance from the Non-Aggression Zone, had risen up.

And now he was right where she wanted him to be and all she could think about was how Edwin hadn't even looked at her.

'He can't still be mad about when we last talked, right?' she thought to herself. 'Okay, so he wasn't pleased I tried to trick him… and I'm not sure why he ran off like he did when I offered to join him for dinner but he wasn't happy with that either. But still… he can't still be upset about that! What, does he expect me to apologize?' She heard Joey declare something but she didn't even look up, lost in her thoughts. 'What for? I didn't do anything wrong.' She grimaced. 'Heh, even I don't believe that. Still… its just part of the game, right?' She flexed her fingers, feeling the leather of her dueling glove crinkle slightly. 'Though maybe to him it wasn't part of the game quite yet?' She mentally let out a groan. 'Oh grow up and admit the truth, Mai… you offended him by first trying to trick him and then trying to do so by turning it all into a come-on. He didn't like that, saw through your tricks, and then you didn't even follow after him to apologize. That's why he is acting like you aren't even here.'

Mai huffed.

"Well, time to see about that," she said softly to herself before walking up to the girl… Taya or Tina or something or the like. Yugi had run off, Mai wasn't for sure but she wondered if it was so he could fight the urge to chime in to help with Joey's horrible dueling skills, leaving the girl all by herself. Though she seemed to have enough good will and cheer in her to be a one-girl pep rally.

"What do you want?" Tara asked in annoyance as Mai moved to join her.

Mai help up her hands. "Now now… one would think you weren't happy to see me! I thought you goodie goodies were all about friendship and kindness."

"Yeah, for people we actually like! Not rat finks that trick my friends into duels!"

"Joey is a big boy. If he didn't want to duel Rex he could have said no at any time. You're just mad that he didn't do what you wanted… far too used to the boys leaping to your beck and call?"

"What? I… no… I mean…" Tanya flustered a bit before glaring at her. "Why don't you just go back to rooting for Rex, huh?"

"Oh, those two will keep swapping blows for a while now. I wanted to just ask about the newest member of your group…" she nodded towards where Edwin was, the man leaning against a tree watching the duel, the kid sitting next to him. "I've met Edwin but who's that? His brother or something?"

"No," Tippa said, watching as Joey debated what card to put out next. Mai could almost see the monkeys working in his brain, fumbling with wires as they tried to make a proper connection. "If you must know that's Mokuba."

"Mo… Mokuba? As in Mokuba Kaiba?" She looked at the young boy and suddenly remembered him from one of Seto Kaiba's matches. "Kaiba keeps him on such a short leash… what is he doing here by himself?"

"Pegasus brought him here. Using him as leverage to try and get Kaiba's company. Edwin battled one of Pegasus' Eliminators to secure his freedom."

"Is that so?" Mai asked before moving away from Terri without another word.

"Mai?" Rex called out. "Hey Mai! Where ya goin'! I'm about to destroy this fool! You better not be tryin' to get out of our duel!" 

"Oh calm down! I can only take so much of Joey's brain grinding gears trying to work out how to win a battle. Need a bit of a break. Focus on actually winning, Rex!"

"I summon Flames Swordsman!"

Mai quietly grimaced, not even looking back to watch as Joey's new monster easily destroyed Rex's. 'That rock-headed… he completely forgot that per Duelist Kingdom Rules Dinosaur monsters are weak to Fire Types.' Sure enough Rex let out a howl of protest. 'Still, I'm not that worried… Rex nearly was the National Champion of Japan… no way does one Warrior with a burning sword take him down.' She moved over towards Edwin and as she got closer she could hear him quietly talking to Mokuba, who was studying the duel intently.

"Alright, so Joey has out Flames Swordsman who gets an attack boost because of the field and his Fire Typing… for some reason only that our glorious Nixon of an organizer Pegasus understands… gives him an advantage over dinosaur monsters. What would you do to defeat that card?"

"But I don't even know what is in Rex's hand."

"I didn't ask you what Rex should do," Edwin said gently. "Nor am I asking you to come up with a strategy. I'm asking you to consider the playfield and think of what you could do to take down Flame Swordsmen." 

"Well… obviously I could summon a monster that was stronger that Flames Swordsman." 

"In what way?" Edwin pressed.

"What do you mean?"

"Just attack points?"

"Well… yeah!" Edwin looked up and pointed towards the field as Rex summoned his Serpent Night Dragon. "Oh! I get what you mean now! Since Dinosaurs are weak to Fire summon something that isn't a Dinosaur!" Mokuba though tilted his head. "Why would Rex have a Dragon in a Dinosaur deck?" 

"I honestly have no clue," Edwin said before shaking his head. "What else though? What other ways could you get rid of Flame Swordsman?" As he asked that the dragon easily defeated Joey's monster, putting Rex back in control.

"…what if a Dinosaur monster had a Water typing?" Mokuba asked.

"Exactly! Water beats fire, so it would allow you to drench the sword and stop your Dinosaurs from losing attack points while also dropping Flame Swordsman's. What else?"

"What else is there?"

Edwin grinned. "The field itself. You could attack and destroy it in a way to eliminate the bonus." 

"But your monsters would be weakened too," Mokuba pointed out.

"Not if you broke the field in such a way that gave Dinosaurs a different way to power up. Like maybe… saying that all the fallen dinosaurs' bones create a Dinosaur Graveyard that power up other Dinos? But it can only be revealed by shattering the meadow?" 

"That would work?"

"Under Duelist Kingdom rules it would."

Intrigued at what he was doing, for it didn't sound at all like he was trying to help Joey (especially since his example dealt with DEFEATING Joey) Mai decided to make her presence known. "Hello Edwin."

The blonde man looked up at her. "Mai." 

"Oh, so you did notice me," she said in a teasing tone. "I was beginning to think you were going to ignore me. Didn't say hello to me or anything when you showed up."

Edwin, much to her surprise, actually grimaced at that. "Sorry, I didn't know what kind of welcome I'd get. Still, should have said something at least. Sorry again."

Mai blinked. She'd expected a snarky comment, an insult, denial… not an honest apology and embarrassment. It threw her off and left her feeling flatfooted. "Well… perfectly fine. You can see now that there are no hard feelings."

"You two know each other?" Mokuba asked. 

"We met in Domino City," Edwin stated. He shot Mai a look. "She tried to figure out my deck. Endymion with burn and destruction effects by the way… just in case you were going to try something else out to get the information."

She had been and decided not to even try and deny it. "Well now the only reason I have to ask you to have dinner with me is because I'm hungry and enjoy your company." He glowered and she quickly threw up her hands. "Okay, we're not at the point of joking about that…" she moved to stand next to the tree, watching as Rex's Red-Eyes Black Dragon destroyed Joey's two battleguards (and when had he summoned those?). "So, what are you two up to anyway?"

"Mokuba wants to learn how to duel but doesn't have a deck yet. So I am teaching him how to strategize using the travesty of a duel."

The words almost left Mai's mouth. They were so very close. The mocking that Seto Kaiba's little brother didn't know how to duel and had to have some stranger, someone that had never competed on the tournament circuit, teach him how to play the game. But she forced herself to stop. First and foremost because Mokuba was a kid and from what Tea had told her he'd had a rough time of it. Second that at that moment she realized that Yugi was back to watching Joey and she remembered how he was a nobody as well who had defeated Kaiba, Weevil, and apparently Mako as well.

And finally because she got the sense that if she opened her mouth now it would be the last time she got to talk to Edwin Chaos. And while she couldn't quite pinpoint why… she didn't like the idea of having him his an enemy.

'Maybe because he's the first person to see me not as a conquest… who actually got offended when I suggested that,' she thought to herself before out loud asking, "Travesty, huh? Not cheering on Joey?" 

"Oh, I hope he wins," Edwin said. "Joey is a good guy. He's an idiot but he's a good guy." Edwin looked over at Mokuba. "List off why this was stupid of Joey."

The kid thought it over. "Well, my brother would say that Joey was way out of his league." 

"Not acceptable. Any duelist can win at any time. Any given Sunday, as the athletes say. Try again."

Mai was rather impressed. Edwin was on the island to report on the tournament but he acted more like a professor than a newsman.

"Well… he didn't learn about the field bonus." Edwin motioned for him to continue. "He knew Rex used dinosaurs but didn't alter his deck to take that into account. Oh! And he gambled all his Star Chips when he could have only done one!"

"That it?" Edwin asked.

"I think so."

"Then you missed the biggest one: Joey rushed in angry and emotional instead of using logic. That made him be sloppy and cost him early on. Even though it started with him mad he should have taken a breather when he first drew his hand and considered just what to do before laying his first card down." He shot Mai a dark look. "No matter what anyone says or does to try and goad you into a duel you don't do it unless you are in control of yourself."

"Hey kid," Mai called out, "you mind letting me and Edwin talk alone for a bit?"

Mokuba looked over to Edwin who nodded. "Stay near Yugi and Tristan and Tea, okay? That way I can see you. We won't be long, I don't think." Mokuba didn't look too sure of that but finally nodded and hurried over to the others, who were cheering Joey on as he thought about his next move. Mai hadn't noticed them all returning. "Alright Mai… floor is yours."

"First off I want to say I'm sorry about last time we spoke," she said, surprising even herself with her apology. Though he had apologized to her so that was only fair.

"Are you apologizing because you understand why what you did was wrong? Or because I got mad at you and you just want to fix things? Or that but you still think you're right and just want me to let it go?" 

"Uh… the second one I think."

He chuckled at that. "At least you're honest."

"But now I sense you aren't exactly happy with me right now either."

"Noooooo!" he exclaimed in an exaggerated shock. "Ya think?" He waved towards where Joey was setting up his next move. "You tricked someone who has only had one professional duel in his life into dueling a regional champion because you are upset he got lucky and beat you… despite the fact that you have 8 Star Chips already. So you played on the fragile ego of someone who is dueling just so he can get his sister an operation so she doesn't go blind." He didn't even bother to look at her. "You must be so proud of your accomplishment here."

She had been proud but his scorn turned her victory into ash. And she didn't like that. "Hey, he's the arrogant loudmouth that crowed about beating me! He's just getting what he deserved." 

"You cheated using perfume to mark your cards," Edwin snapped back. "Had Joey wanted the moment he realized you were pulling that trick he could have demanded you forfeit the duel. You would have been banished from Duelist Kingdom… because believe me Pegasus doesn't like cheaters, just look up the name 'Bandit Keith'… and pretty much ruined your entire career. The fact that he celebrated his first official win a bit too wildly? That was peanuts over what he could have done."

Mai screw up her face at that. She hadn't considered just how badly things could have gone had Joey pushed her little fake-psychic trick and demanded one of Pegasus' staff to intervene. She'd just assumed no one would be able to pick it up, figure out the trick… and there were enough duelists with gimmicks that what was one more? But she now saw how risky that gamble had been. Most people knew that Pegasus had defeated Keith Howard at the Intercontinental Championship by writing out Keith's strategy for a boy in the audience, so that he could counter his plan. What only a few who were deep in the duelist culture knew was that there had long been rumors that Keith was a cheat. That he'd just so happen to get the right card at the right time… even though no one remembered seeing him with that card before. Or that when rewatching the tapes a card that was in his graveyard at the moment was in his hand the next, seemingly by magic… or quick fingers. Nothing had ever been proven but some, like Mai, had suspected that Bandit Keith had been found out by Pegasus and that was why he'd chosen to humiliate him as he had. It certainly was out of character for the man.

And that could have been her.

"What," she snapped, refusing to answer what Edwin had posed, "willing to look the other way with Joey and all he did?"

"Not at all," Edwin stated firmly. "I already told Mokuba he was an idiot. What I didn't mention was that when we have a few moments Joey and I are going to have a discussion about him solving his problems by using his fists. It works sometimes, don't get me wrong… but the moment he swung at Tristan he crossed a line and we're going to chat about that." He pursed his lips in thought. "The rest of his friends need a talking to as well. You were right about Yugi… he can't keep couching Joey during duels. He does too much during them and not enough outside of them. Tristan was condescending so even if Joey was wrong to punch him he deserved it. And Tea can't preach friendship one minute then rag on him the next and then get upset when called out on that." He scoffed. "I came here to have fun and now I'd playing parent to three teenagers and an 11 year old." 

"Well, you and I are the oldest people competing," Mai said, folding her arms under her bosom.

"But everything Joey did… that doesn't make what you did here right, Mai. You went after Joey for the pettiest of reasons."

She rolled his eyes at that. Of course he was one of the bleeding hearts that thought that people were good and kind and if you did enough things to help others you'd be rewarded. "Life is cruel, Edwin. If you don't think that you need to grow up quick. It takes things away from you and you need to-" 

"Don't," he snarled, voice suddenly guttural and harsh, and it seemed to Mai as if all the light had disappeared from the universe, the way he bit that word out, "ever… talk to me about life taking things from you. You understand me? Don't you _**ever**_ talk down to me when it comes to that."

She swallowed. The moment came and went in an instant but still she felt the weight of it. "Who was it?" she asked softly.

"… my mom." He blinked rapidly, suddenly fighting back tears and the guilt she had felt before was but a grain of sand compared to the desert that now flooded her heart as he struggled to contain his grief. She reached over and touched his shoulder and he flinched like her hand had burned him but then relaxed. He sucked on the inside of his cheek, smiling, but she knew he was only doing that to keep from sobbing. "One day maybe I'll talk about it but not now. Please."

"Okay," Mai said. She wanted to say she was sorry, that she understood, but she knew that was the last thing he'd want to hear. To drop it… that was the only gift she could give him.

"You have choice, you know?" he asked, quiet and solemn yet also weirdly hopeful. In front of them Joey activated the Time Wizard card and Edwin smiled as it landed on the Time Machine, causing eons to pass on the dueling field. "Life gives you so much bad… but you have a choice. Whether you pass that along to others, make them feel as bad as you do... or if you decide that you want to make sure that others don't know the pain that you do." He reached up and adjusted his glasses. "That's what life is, honestly. The purpose of all of this." He motioned at the two of them and the area around them. "To be able to do good. To make the world better."

"Even if it is so bad to you?"

"Especially then." He reached up and patted her hand before slowly rising. He faced her and he was back to being himself… or, as she wondered, the version of him he let the world see. "My eyes good? No red? Don't want to make Mokuba worry." 

"You're good," she said. He nodded and began to make his way towards a celebrating Joey and Mai, after a few moments, followed after him.

"It was a good duel, Joey," Edwin said. "Would have been better if you hadn't liked like an asp beforehand."

"Hey, what are ya…" Joey began but seeing Edwin's stern face he wilted. "Yeah… yeah, you're probably right." He turned to Tristan. "I'm sorry about hittin' ya man. Shouldn't have done that."

"Well… yeah, you shouldn't have." Tanya cleared her throat and Tristan rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "And I shouldn't have been so condensing when you accepted the duel. I'd have hit me too if that had happened to me."

"See, isn't that better than fighting?" Tafada asked.

Joey turned and shot Mai a cocky grin. "So much for your little revenge plot, Mai!"

She had an insult on the tip of her tongue but seeing Edwin shooting her a questioning look she quickly swallowed it back up and let out a weary sigh before nodding. "You did good, Joey. Congrats."

"Well, I mean-wait, what?"

Rex though was livid. "What the heck is this? The doofus defeats me and suddenly you are nice to him?"

"I'm nice because that's how I should be anyway, Rex," Mai countered. "Because it's easier to be nice than to eat humble pie all the time." Seeing how befuddled Joey was looking made that confession almost as sweet as revenge.

"Well that might be but you still owe me a duel!" Rex declared, jabbing his finger at Mai. "I don't care what our deal was, I want a duel for all the suffering I went through!"

Mai scoffed at that. "You had your chance-"

"Oh, give him his duel," Edwin interjected.

"Excuse me?" Mai said, turning and glaring at him.

"You had your fun. Made him dance to your merry tune, so why not just duel him?" Edwin smirked, the unstated challenge hanging in the air.

'A test it would seem,' Mai thought to herself. 'And not just of my skills.' She looked at Rex and considered. 'I know what monsters he'll play and he lost that Red-Eyes so the only real threat would be his Serpent Night Dragon and I have enough combos that I could defeat that easily. That would allow me an easy victory and even if I lost Rex only has 3 Star Chips… I'd be able to recover quick enough, even with the weak duelists getting pared down rather quickly. And if I won that would put me over the top… hmmm.' Shooting a look towards Edwin she said, "Okay Rex, I'll duel you… tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What's wrong with dueling right now?"

"Yeah, I want ta see ya both duel right now!" Joey said, inserting himself into things. "Come on Mai, ya chi-GAA!"

Edwin pulled Joey back firmly and shot them all a dark look. "Alright, the kids have played but grumpy Uncle Edwin is now stepping it. It's getting dark, it's getting colder, we're all hungry and tired. So we are going to pitch camp for the night and in the morning you can all decide who is and isn't a chicken for recklessly rushing into duels. But if you press the matter now… fine. But no tent, no fire, no food. Got it?" Joey looked down and mumbled. "Got it?"

"…fine, Ed, fine, I got ya." 

He turned to Rex. "What about you? Want to join us?"

"Join with the dork that took my Red-Eyes?" the dino duelist complained. "Hard pass." He shifted his bag onto his shoulder. "Besides, I want to work on my deck before Mai and I duel and knowing her she'd look over my shoulder the entire time!" Mai stared at him before giving a playful shrug. "I'm head back up where we first met, Mai… I expect to find you there tomorrow, you hear me? No funny business!" 

She held up her hands in mock surrender. "Heaven forbid!" She let out a mild huff. "I'll find you Rex and you'll have your duel. Now get out of here so we can set up camp!"

~MC~MC~MC~

Pegasus stood on the balcony of his castle, looking out at the forest, swirling his drink ever so slightly.

'How does the saying go? "For Alexander wept for there were no more worlds to conquer"? But what does it mean? That he has claimed all… or that he is so blind and arrogant that he believes he has conquered all when there is so much beyond him?'

But it didn't matter what one believed for those that quoted that statement were quite wrong. The actual quote, while not as poetic, was far more true: When Alexander learned there were infinite worlds out there he wept for he had not managed to conquer even one. It spoke of the folly of man to believe that they could dominate and control all, for even the mightiest of them couldn't even control one single world they knew of, let alone all of existence.

He stared out at the dark forest. This was his kingdom, his Duelist Kingdom, yet at the moment when he should feel the most in control… he did not. Seto Kaiba had escaped and he knew that it wouldn't take long for him to come to the island, especially after the cyber attack against his systems. Yugi Moto continued to defy the odds, winning two duels so far against skilled opponents even when he'd had a disadvantage. And then there was Joseph Wheeler, who Pegasus had written off as little concern but who'd managed to defeat Mai Valentine and Rex Raptor.

'And then there is Eddy-Boy,' he thought to himself. He should have been a non-entity… a reporter sent to cover the tournament. Pegasus had expected Kipling Chaos, an average duelist but nothing too impressive. The old news hound would have lost fairly quickly but rather than be dismissed he would have been invited to Pegasus' castle to be an honored guest. Pegasus would then have wined and dined him, whispered in his ear all the right things to say, so that when Yugi arrived and made his wild claims the man would instantly side against the boy. Articles would be written of Pegasus' win and him taking control of KaibaCorp. He'd even gotten documents forged that would show that he and the Kaiba brothers were distantly related, so that he could claim guardianship of Mokuba. He didn't need KaibaCorp for long, just to get their hologram technology, and with the right tutors Mokuba would grow up to be a fine businessman who could run the business for Pegasus. He'd done such things before… 'And I truly should check in on Yako and Gekko at some point…'

He shook his head, focusing once more on his plans and how they'd been torn asunder by Kipling breaking his leg and thus setting the stage for his nephew to take his place. Edwin Chaos was far more cunning than his uncle, both in dueling and in life. While it had taken him a bit to pick up the rules of Duelist Kingdom once he understood them he had easily hit his stride, taking out both Alto Stratus and the Mimic of Doom. On the interpersonal side of things Pegasus had learned that Edwin, unlike his contemporaries Weevil and even little Yugi, networked like a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. In the span of a day he'd made connections with Mako Tsunami, Mai Valentine, Yugi Moto and his friends, Mokuba, and finally his head Eliminator. He'd formed an alliance with Yugi-Boy and gotten Mai to actually spend some time around the teenagers and assist them.

It was… worrisome.

His entire plan dealt with separating Yugi and making him feel alone and desperate. First by getting him to feel like he couldn't trust anyone on the island, then driving his friend Joseph away. Classic psychological warfare. And yet Eddy-Boy had ruined all that, creating a support structure to help Yugi.

'But that isn't what's truly bothering me, if I am to be honest,' he thought to himself. 'Its what Edwin said about me.' Pegasus had listened in on Edwin's conversation with Mai and Mokuba and his comment about Pegasus and his dislike of cheaters had struck a nerve. He had always believed in fair play, that a man should be judged by how they operated within the rules rather than how they could avoid them. Any fool could break a law… a cunning man used the law as his blade. 'And yet as I stand here I allow PaniK to rig one of my dueling platforms to attack opponents with flames…'

The mere fact alone that he'd brought that monster in showed how desperate he was. PaniK had been banned from tournaments all over the world for his tactics. Intimidation, threats, theft… the man had even broken into one opponent's home, sitting by their baby brother's crib and explaining why they would forfeit the match; he'd only been caught thanks to a baby monitor. He was a vile creature… and Pegasus had allowed him onto his island. He wanted to regain control but now saw that he'd only cost himself more.

He shut his eyes before walking back inside, going to his desk and pressing a button on his phone. "Croquet?"

"Yes Mr. Pegasus?" 

"Get me Renard Volpe on the phone. I need his help."

~MC~MC~MC~

I was doing my best to remain in a good mood.

But it was late… well past 8pm by the time everything was set up and we could actually get supper started. I was hungry and I was cranky because the idiot twins Joey and Tristan had spent half their time arguing about how to set up my tent rather than just let me read the instructions. It had finally taken the threat of me banning both of them from camp that had gotten them to go collect water. Mai had gotten the easier time of it, getting Tea and Mokuba to help her set up her tent and the portable shower she'd brought with her, and Yugi was left to collect the firewood. Tea had gone off to take a shower… for some reason, I really didn't understand but didn't feel like getting Mai and Tea rolling their eyes at me and complaining about men so I didn't prod that bear.

"Why did those idiots pour everything onto the ground?" I asked Yugi as he tended the fire, getting it ready to begin cooking the mushroom rice Mai had brought with her. And thankfully she had brought spoons as, being a dirty uncultured American, I was shit with chopsticks. To tide myself over I grabbed a bag of trail mix; I had delayed myself from eating… again… to clean up the mess Joey and Tristan had made in their rush to get things organized, loading everything back into Mai's bag. I'd already stopped him from adding the candy bars to the mix, not sure what sort of drugged up Shaggy mess he was trying to make.

"They were just in a rush to get everything ready," Yugi said.

"I'm seeing a pattern in Joey's life."

Mokuba looked up from the copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that I'd lent to him. He was sitting near my absolutely massive tent, a red and white monster that was the size of a car. With him added to the group I was thrilled that I'd actually gone for the 6 person shelter instead of something smaller… even if I had the feeling before dawn came I'd be kicking at least one person out for making a ruckus. "Where are Joey and Tristan anyway? I thought they already got enough water."

"Enough for Tea to take 10 showers," I stated with a shrug, looking over the food I had and selecting my bag of trail mix. "But they began arguing about how they could make the fire hotter to speed up the cooking time so I suggested they get even bigger logs… they're probably out there trying to cut down a tree by ramming it with their heads billygoat style."

Mokuba snickered at that and Yugi shook his head, smiling even as he scolded me. "That wasn't very nice."

"If Joey isn't going to use his head to think then he can use it to cut down trees. I'm not going to let you all starve because you refuse to stand up to Joey and tell him he's wrong."

"It's not like that," Yugi complained, checking on the rice. "Joey just likes to do things his own way."

"And that gives him a right to do whatever he wants without repercussions?" I pressed. "He gets away far too often with a weak sorry, you cave, and then he does something else that is rash expecting you all to accept that and the cycle begins again." 

"That is friendship, Edwin," Yugi argued. "Accepting peoples faults and being there for them."

"No," I said firmly. "That is a parasitic relationship. Friendship, true friendship, is about understanding who a person is, yes, but also working to ensure they don't hurt themselves. You don't give and give and give with nothing in return." I jabbed my finger at him. "You have caused more harm than good constantly coddling Joey."

"I told him not to duel Rex," Yugi pointed out, his temper flaring and for a moment I wondered if the Pharaoh was about to make an appearance.

I scoffed. "You, Tea, and Tristan mocked him… Tristan especially. And because Joey is used to always getting his way anyway it was a shock when you three didn't instantly agree with his decision. That's why he punched Tristan… in his twisted little world Tristan pulled the ultimate betrayal."

"You don't know Joey at all… you can't judge him based on only a few interactions," Yugi argued. "He's my friend! He'd do anything for me!"

"Even if it went against what he wanted?" I asked, glancing at Mokuba and seeing that he was trying to pretend to be reading even when in reality he was listening to every word the both of us said. Good… he needed to learn this as well… and I wanted to seed some information into his brain for later."If you told Joey that the only way to save your grandpa's soul was for him to forfeit this tournament and the prize money… would he? On one hand you have your grandpa's life… on the other Serentiy. And yeah, it is horrible that she might go blind but there are ways to get the money… and worst case she goes blind. She'd still be alive. But do you honestly think Joey would swallow his pride and do that when every instinct he has is screaming, "You have to save her?" Would he sacrifice your grandpa's life just to get what he wants?"

"…that's not a fair question," Yugi said, refusing to answer.

I rolled my eyes. "Within an hour of knowing Joey he challenged me to a duel because he didn't like the trade you and I set up. A trade you felt was perfectly fine. He knew better than you, Yugi, and decided to take the decision out of your hand. And I'm not being egotistical when I say that with his deck the way it was… I would have destroyed him. If I were an evil bassplayer-" Stupid, stupid 4kids! "-I could have kept drawing him in, getting him to bet more and more, till he lost his entire deck. Gambler's Ruin, it's a part of Chaos Theory, and Joey suffers from it badly. Would you have sat by and let him do that?" I leaned forward. "Would he have listened at that point?" 

Yugi shifted, looking down at the pot that was merrily cooking over the camp fire.

"Listen," I said in frustration, guilt at pressing Yugi on this flowing through my veins, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to harp on you. But Joey has serious issues and you aren't being a true friend if you are too scared to stand up to him and tell him he's wrong about something. You have to help him or he's never going to grow." I paused, listening to the quiet sounds of the forest. I could have sworn I heard something and I knew that at any time Bakura would show up. But there was nothing and I finally turned back to the conversation. "Mai was right about you helping Joey too much during duels… but not in the way she thought."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked, his annoyance at me calling out the faults in his relationship with his first male friend and his natural curiosity warring with each other before curiosity finally won out.

I threw a handful of trailmix in my mouth, chewing on it quickly before I finally spoke. "You want to help Joey and he wants to learn. He takes advice whie dueling well enough." 'Though for how long?' I wondered to myself. Yugi and Joey hadn't spent a lot of time watching each other duel for much of Battle City and in later arcs and I wondered if Joey, full of arrogance that he was coming into his own as a true duelist, would even listen to Yugi's suggestions or believe he knew exactly what to do to win a duel. "But how often do you to sit down and actually discuss strategy? Help him look over his deck and figure out what is working and what he needs to change? Pour over the rulebook to determine what rules both of you might be missing?"

Yugi looked down at the rice, his prolonged silence the only answer I needed.

"You want to help him? Stop backseat dueling and get him to be proactive."

"Joey doesn't do well with that kind of training," Yugi said.

"I get the sense he doesn't like any kind of training… or work." 

Yugi glared at me there. "Now that is enough! Joey is a great guy and you can't keep insulting him like that! Just because he isn't like you and me doesn't mean…" 

"What?" I asked when Yugi tapered off. "Go on… say it." Yugi though pressed his lips together. "Lazy? Immature? Argue he isn't." The air grew heavy with the silence. "You know I'm right but you're afraid to admit it. Joey just wants to rush in and win with as little effort as possible. He expects others to fall into his line of thinking and when they don't it's never a question of what did he do wrong… he thinks they are the ones at fault. He wants to become an amazing duelist but he doesn't want to take the time to learn." I gestured at Mokuba. "Today Mokuba and I watched Joey's duel with Rex and we discussed strategy. When we get off this island he and I are going to go shopping and build a deck and then we're going to practice. We are going to find minor tournaments where he can start off slow and learn how to duel. Do you honestly see Joey doing all that?"

"…we're going to do all that?" Mokuba said in wonder.

I smiled at him and gave him an upward nod. "Assuming your brother doesn't want to? Yeah, sure. I won't mind if Seto wants to be involved, good bonding for you both, but I'm going to give you both my number when we get off this rock so we can stay in touch." The excited grin Mokuba gave me was like the sun shining after a thunderstorm. It was with the greatest reluctance that I turned back towards Yugi, who was looking down at the fire with a morose gaze. "I don't like saying those things but they need to be said. Joey has a massive chip on his shoulder and it needs to get knocked off quick." I flashed to him challenging Kaiba and getting utterly destroyed, him vs. Bonz, the Rare Hunter taking his Red-Eyes. "He needs to realize that if he wants to be a duelist… a good one… he either needs to slow down and learn the game… or he needs to grow up and get good real quick."

I never got to hear Yugi's response as Tea's screech had all of us instantly on alert.

"That sounded like Tea!" Yugi exclaimed, leaping to his feet and moving to where Mai had put the shower. Mokuba moved to join him but I held out my arm to block him, shaking my head. Even though I knew it was most likely Bakura (or, to be more accurate, Yami Bakura wearing the real Bakura like a suit) I didn't want to risk it actually being one of the Eliminators hoping to take advantage of the situation to make a grab for Mokuba; Pegasus might honor his word but I didn't trust Kemo or the other goons. With Panik somewhere out there looming in the shadows the last thing I needed was to force a needless confrontation.

After a few minutes though Mai returned back to our campground, dragging Joey in by the ear, Tristan and Yugi following behind with blushes and grimaces. "Do I even want to ask?" I growled, Joey still trying to free himself while at the same time whimpering in pain.

"This little peeper burst into the shower to get a look at Tea!" Mai complained, finally giving Joey a shove while I marveled at the fact that we'd actually gotten a deleted scene in this episode… moment… whatever.

"She was screamin' and I rushed in to help her! I'm a hero!" Joey complained, rubbing his abused ear.

"And when both Tea and I yelled at you, after you boldly proclaimed "Have no fear, Joey's here!" that you were NOT to go into the shower… you still felt the need to?" Mai pressed.

"Well… she could have been forced ta say that! Ya never know!" He rubbed his ear and Mai huffed, going off to stand guard for Tea while she finished.

Tristan shook his head as he sat down next to Joey. "I told you not to do that. Tea said she heard something OUTSIDE of the shower, not in it!"

"Would ya lay off me, man! I was just tryin' ta help!" He folded his arms over his chest. "Supposed ta be on my side instead of those crazy chicks."

I merely shot Yugi a look and he meekly looked away. 'Coward.'

After that things went easy enough. All of us dug into our supper, chatting about everything and nothing. The gang asked me about life in America and I found out that while Joey had a Brooklyn accent that mainly came from his father having grown up there; Joey hadn't actually been to New York. A couple times Mai seemed ready to make a sarcastic or biting remark, like when Yugi asked about her Star Chips, but then she'd look at me, let out a sigh, and actually tried to talk with them. And when she wasn't trying to portray herself as a cold hearted bitch Mai was rather fun to be around. She told stories of how she'd been a dealer on a riverboat casino, and of the time she'd gone to a tournament and her and her opponent accidently ended up swapping decks, forcing her to play a beast warrior deck and having no idea what any of the cards did. In exchange I had told them about how I had a rule named after me at the University of Michigan that forbid students from doing anything they wanted for a senior project (do one mock Mission Statement for a brothel and suddenly they are naming rules after you).

Finally, when it was got to 10pm, Mai went off to take a shower, and sadly lose to Panik but there was little I could do there to change that without leaving that maniac on the loose, and I changed into my pajamas (because I didn't care if I was camping I wasn't sleeping in dirty clothes), arriving back with a robe on to find Tristan in the middle of a ghost story.

"And when they looked in the back seat there were 25 pepperoni pizzas!" Tristan declared.

Even Mokuba stared at him blandly.

"What? Should I have done ham instead?"

Joey rolled his eyes, giving Tristan a light shove. "That ain't no scary story!"

"Sure it is! There was no garlic bread!" 

"Crazy Bread," I muttered under my breath.

Joey rubbed his hands together. "Now, here is how you tell a scary story. We begin-"

"Nowhere," I said, cutting him off.

"Yeah," Tea said with a shiver. "Think about… Mokuba."

"I want to hear the story!" Mokuba complained.

"And I don't," I said firmly. The others stared at me and a rolled my eyes. "I have a hyperactive imagination. Thus scary stories screw with me REAL bad. So we aren't telling them, at least so long as I am in earshot. And considering how you four are I don't need any of you waking me up with night terrors. Besides," I looked to Mokuba, "you need to get to bed."

"But it's-" he let out a yawn, "-not that late!"

"Oh yes it is. And I want to be up early tomorrow before Pegasus can send a swarm of Eliminators after us. Scoot." Mokuba shot me a wounded dark look and I sighed. "Would Seto let you stay up?"

"…no."

"Then I don't need Seto kicking my alps for letting you stay up late." I sighed when Mokuba continued to look at me. "I promise if something exciting happens I'll wake you. But nothing will. We are going to talk for a bit and then I'm at least going to bed. This lot will probably stay up way too late and then be too tired to duel tomorrow but I'll be in the tent soon." 

"Okay, fine fine," Mokuba said, sitting up and wandering towards the tent. "But you better wake-" he yawned, "-me up if anything interesting happens!"

"I will."

I didn't.

I had been thinking of what was to come next ever since I knew I would be heading to Duelist Kingdom: Bakura's first appearance and the duel he and the Pharaoh had using the souls of Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Tea. I knew the wisest thing to do was to get the hell away while they were doing that. The Millennium Items were cool in the show when you weren't affected by them but being stuck in this world… they terrified me. They were magic crafted from the sacrifice of innocents. They could ruin lives and destroy souls both in the sense of corruption and LITERALLY destroy them. The smart idea would be to find an excuse to wander away, maybe watch Mai duel, then hook back up with the gang once they were done.

That was the smart idea.

And I was going to be a giant idiot and let Yami Bakura/Thief Bakura/Zorc stick my soul into a card.

It was something nearly every fan of the series had thought about. What was their favorite card, the card they would want their soul to go into, and later on what card was their Ka or Ba or however it went. The card of their soul. That, and the fact that I'd get a taste of what it was like to have magic. I was a normal human in this world and unless Shadi decided to give me a Millennium Item I'd never get a taste for it except now.

(And if that mysterious ghost bastard did try and give me one I'd go running in the other direction; like I said the Millennium items were NOT things to play around with!)

But while I had decided to let Yami Bakura wallop me into a Shadow Duel there was no way I was letting Mokuba near one. Not just because he was a kid but also because it was so utterly dangerous. There were only 5 monster zones; enough for Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and myself. I had no idea what would happen if Mokuba's soul was in the Pharaoh's deck when the duel ended. Would he return to normal? Or be lost. And then there was the worry that Mokuba might get summoned onto the field and would cause problems for the Pharaoh. Already I knew I'd have to deal with Joey and Tristan being stupid and rushing around attacking… and Yugi too, now that I thought about it. I couldn't remember much other than that Tristan and then Joey had gone to the card graveyard and it was only because of Tea's Magician of Faith card (and why was that her favorite card when the Dark Magician Girl became her favorite card… and would Yugi having it now screw up the duel?) that they both survived. We only had two chances to die, as strange as that sounded, and I couldn't risk hoping the Pharaoh would top deck multiple miracles.

So off to bed Mokuba went. And about 20 minutes later, just when I was about to get real annoyed-

"Don't you think we should check on Mai?" Tea asked.

Yugi nodded. "She has been gone a long time."

"Probably a trap," Joey groused, Tristan nodding only for the bushes behind Tea to begin moving around them. If I didn't know for a fact that Bakura was being influenced by Zorc I'd give the idiot a dope slap for being a creepy bastard. As it was I made a show of leaping to my feet while Joey, to his credit, leapt with Tristan to protect Tea. "Okay, I think Mai is sneaky but she ain't this freaky. Hey, come on out!"

And with that Bakura melted out of the bushes.

"See, I told you!" Tea declared, still half hiding behind me. "I haven't just been seeing things!"

"Tea, that is right in my ear," I complained, hoping that maybe in this world I wouldn't end up with tinnitus.

"What are you doing out here, Bakura?" Joey asked.

"Same as you guys, I guess."

I held up my hands. "That doesn't answer his question. Who are you and what are you doing here? I don't see a dueling glove on you and I don't remember you in the crowd at Pegasus' castle…"

Bakura smiled ever so slightly and I felt my skin crawl. 'Yup, Zorc is in full control at the moment,' I thought as Bakura answered.

"Well, my name is Bakura," he said with all the pleasantness of that scorpion asking the frog for a ride across the river. "And you are?"

"This is Edwin," Tea said, motioning for Bakura to join us. "We met him on the ship… he's been helping us out when we run into some sticky situations."

"…are you in your pajamas?"

"Yes, yes I am," I said with utter dryness.

Realizing that I wouldn't be able to press Bakura any more (and I was honestly interested in what excuse he'd use for being on the island) I merely sat down while the teens caught up with their casual friend. The show had apparently skipped ahead quite a bit as nearly an hour had gone by and I was getting rather tired when Tristan finally looked over at Joey and asked, "Why do you keep staring at that card, man?"

"I'll tell ya, so long as ya don't laugh," Joey said, looking down at the Flame Swordsman. "Sometimes, when I'm in a duel… I pretend it's me out there swapping blows with whatever card my foe has out." He leaned back and rubbed his head with a laugh. "Ain't that dumb?"

"No it's not," I said, quickly seeing through Joey's ruse. Whenever he was worried people thought he was dumb I was willing to bet he'd call it out first, pretending like it was all a joke to keep from being tormented and teased. I sadly wondered how many times his drunk of a father had mocked him for something being stupid and felt a pang of guilt for my rant against him earlier in the evening. "It's only natural to envision yourself in something you love. Movie, comic book," 'Anime,' I mentally added.

Bakura nodded in agreement. "Edwin is quite right. What card would you be, if you were one?"

"Eeeeehhhhhh…. This one!" Joey showed us his Flame Swordsman, standing up and mimicking swinging a sword. "The Flame Swordsman kicks everybody's butt!"

Tristan smiled and stood up as well. "Not my guy's! The Cyber Commander!"

"You guys and your cards are hilarious," Tea teased.

Yugi turned to her and countered, "I think everyone has a card they can identify with. You should see if you can find one yourself." Tea pulled out her deck and began to go through the cards. "What about you, Edwin?"

"I think that one's obvious," I said, pulling out Endymion. "Ever since I got my Uncle's deck I've felt a deep connection to him."

"Here we go!" Tea said. "The Magician of Faith."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Tristan exclaimed.

"More like the Magician of Freaks if you ask me!" Joey said, pulling a face and bringing RIGHT back to being annoyed with him.

"Tell me which one you identify with, Yugi," Bakura said.

"Well, I hate to copy Edwin but he has a point." He pulled out the Dark Magician. "Just like him I felt a deep connection to this card the moment I got it. I can't imagine dueling without him in my deck! Which one do you care about the most, Bakura."

"This one," Bakura said.

I suddenly looked up, swearing I could hear the dramatic music playing overhead.

"What does that funny lookin' card do?" Joey asked.

Bakura chuckled slightly. "If you want to find out why don't we have a friendly duel right now?"

"Yeah. After all this Star Chips stuff it will be nice to have a duel with no strings attached!" Joey declared.

"I agree!" Yugi said even as I braced myself.

"Why don't you all put your favorite card in Yugi's deck so it's like we're all playing?" Bakura said. The others quickly nodded in agreement and I, fighting a sudden case of the butterflies, did as he asked. Yugi and Bakura set up the playing field, complete with a dueling mat to protect the cards, while I began to pace.

'This is a dumb idea. Dumb dumb dumb! I'm already in Yu-Gi-Oh! why I am I taking such a needless risk? I already have Pegasus gunning for me now I am going to get Zorc's attention?'

"Edwin, come on!" Tristan called out.

"Before we get started there's a little something I'd like to share with you," Bakura said, eyes narrowing even as he kept his tone light. "especially you, Yugi."

"Hey, I need to go use the little duelist room," I said quickly. "So you guys-"

"A Millennium item!" Yugi exclaimed and I turned to see… IT.

The Millennium Fucking Ring.

Fuck.

"Oh Muppet Fudger," I muttered even as Bakura declared he was taking us to the Shadow Realm. The ring glowed…

…and everything went dark.


	7. Duelist Kingdom Part 5- Pale Moonlight

Yuri frowned as she pulled her car up to the gate of Seto Kaiba's mansion, staring at the dark lawn with suspicion. She had caught a couple cases that involved the super rich of Domino, though all of those had been minor complaints. Vandals spray painting a wall that belonged to an Old Money family, some trust fund baby throwing a loud party and disturbing the peace and the patrol officers being too concerned with stepping on toes to actually do something about it, those kinds of things. One time she'd been sent because her chief got a call from downtown demanding a detective come to a socialite's home because her baby had been kidnapped. It turned out the woman meant Baby, her pet toy poodle. And Baby had been sent to the groomer… the airhead had completely forgotten what day it was. She had experience going to the homes of the rich and powerful and one thing she noticed time and time again was that they were paranoid buggers. Even the brain-cell lacking princess with the missing dog had employed security all around her home, along with motion detectors, yard lights, and security systems.

None of those things were around at Kaiba's mansion.

Or, they were but were deactivated. She'd been forced to turn the brights on in order to safely make her way along the long drive towards the shoreline estate. And when she reached the gate she found the small guardhouse situated near the gate empty. Stepping out of her car she slowly made her way around to the building and saw that there was power just no one around and nothing actually turned on. And the guardhouse was oddly clean… even the most loyal of employees, if forced to do such work, left tale-tell signs that they had been there. A paper or a magazine on the counter, a soda can cracked open, a portable TV. The only thing Yuri found as she poked about the small guardhouse was garbage in the trash and from the way the fruitflies were buzzing about it and the rot on the shriveled up apple core it had been several days since someone had been in there.

Finding the switch for the gate she mentally debated the legality of what she was doing before remembering that Tea was connected to all this and opening the drive up.

'No one rushing out, no alarms… nothing,' she thought as she got back in her car and drove towards the dark house. It was so creepy to see a house that large and modern quiet and unlit. Yuri was used to Domino, where even at the darkest times of night there was light and life going on all over. One could find dancing, music, entertainment, meals, anything. There was no 9-5 in Domino. So for her to be driving up to a building that was so… dead… was chilling.

Reaching the door she got out of her car, keys held firmly in her hand as she slowly made her way up and, after standing there for a moment, knocked. "Hello? Domino Police. Open up."

Nothing.

After about five minutes of waiting that felt like hours in the silent inky night she pulled out her pocket maglite, the high intensity beam cutting through the darkness as she began to move about the perimeter of the mansion. She could see the mini spotlights that were installed to illuminate the house sitting cold and dark and if it wasn't for the fact that she'd seen power in the guardhouse she'd have wondered if there was an outage.

'Something is very wrong. If someone were here they would have responded… and if they'd left in a hurry they wouldn't have turned off the security system.' She frowned at that. 'And these types of systems are automatic… someone turned them off on purpose.'

She almost missed the broken window. She'd reached as far as she could go only to find that the mansion came right up the cliff face of the shore. She'd just been getting ready to turn around when she'd spotted the curtain dangling out the window and shining her light up she could see that the window was shattered. Slowly she lowered her light towards the rocky waters below and really hoped that it had been an object that had tumbled down and not a person.

Yuri pulled out her radio as she got back to her car, beginning to go along the other side of the mansion. "Dispatch, this is Detective Yuri Gardner."

"This is dispatch."

"I'm at the Kaiba Mansion. All the security systems are off, no sign of anyone here, and I just found a broken window overlooking the water." She shone her light towards one of the front windows but all she got there was a hallway; she was glad for that, as she was getting so jumpy from the quiet that if she'd spotted even a painting she may have begun to scream. But no… just wall and carpeting and a plant of some kind. "I'm moving around the otherside but we need to get a team to investigate. It's looking like Mr. Chaos was right and something has happened with the Kaiba family… wait." She paused, spotting a light in a downstairs window. "Dispatch, I might have someone. Please hold."

Clipping her radio back onto her belt Yuri slowly made her way towards the lit up window and kneeling down saw it looked down into a servant's hall. She rose, looking for a side door, only to pause when she felt something press into her back.

"Turn around, slowly," a man said grimly. Yuri nodded, keeping her heads out to her sides, and saw that the new arrival was well over 6 feet tall dressed in a black suit with an earpiece on his ride side, his right finger extended and jabbing her in the chest to keep her in place. "Who are you?"

"Yuri Gardner of the Domino Police department," she said. While the man looked like the standard security one would find for a corporate office the fact that he was here and not guarding a lobby had all her cop instincts screaming. Still, she played it casual. "We got a report of a disturbance here and I was sent to investigate."

"There is no disturbance. You need to leave."

"The broken window begs to differ." She nodded to the earpiece. "Tell whoever is in charge I need to speak with them."

"I don't think you understand how this goes. You don't give orders-" 

"Actually I do. If there is a report of a crime I can, within good reason, investigate. Security turned off, broken window, and now you acting fishy? That is enough. So either get your boss down here or I radio in for more backup."

The suited man glowered at her, clearly not used to people refusing to obey his commands, but finally reached up and touched his earpiece. "Roland, there is a Detective Gardner here about a disturbance report…" Suddenly his entire demeanor shifted. "Yes, I said Gardner…" he stated as he raised his hand, pointing his finger at her. "Don't move. Turns out we do want to talk to you-"

Yuri lashed out, grabbing his wrist and jerking his hand away before twisting until there was a crack. The suited man roared in pain and Yuri decided to further surprise him. He'd clearly thought that their size difference gave him an edge but Yuri had been trained how to put down men twice her height and weight and easily drove her foot into his kneecap, causing him to stumble before she yanked on his other arm and threw him over her shoulder. The man landed with a thud but Yuri already reached into her pocket and pulled out a 20 inch long piece of high grade military cable, wrapping it around his bicep and then twisting it so that it formed a noose around his arm. The bruiser howled as she wrenched his arm back but she kicked him in the back, forcing him down onto the ground. Her handcuffs came out and she pressed her knee into the small of his back.

"Stay down before I really hurt you!" she snarled. "Dispatch," she said, pulling her radio free again. "Send officers to the Kaiba Mansion. I was just attached by an unknown assailant who was communicating with others. I might have company soon."

"Officers will be there in five minutes, detective."

Yuri reached over and grabbed him by the scalp, yanking his head up as she clipped her radio back onto her belt. "Let me guess… the name Gardner interested whoever you were talking to?" She pulled a bit harder, causing the man to groan in pain. "You're going to tell me what the heck is going on and what Mokuba Kaiba and my sister have to do with it or so help me you'll wish you'd never been born." 

"I can answer that."

Yuri turned, prepared to tackle the new arrival, only to pause when she saw it was an older woman in a black dress, her hair in a tight bun on her head. Yuri remained alert but the woman held out her hands in a gesture of peace.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Mrs. Nash, the housekeeper." She looked down at the man Yuri had pinned and scowled. "And that man is the one who has been holding me and the staff prisoner in our rooms for the last day and a half." The housekeeper looked back to Yuri. "I will tell you everything I know… if you promise to help Mr. Kaiba and his brother. They are in grave danger."

~MC~MC~MC~

Even when I knew it was coming appearing in the Shadow Game was one of the oddest feelings I'd ever had in my life. One moment I had felt a strange thrusting sensation, which I realized later was my soul being ripped from my body but in the moment the closest I could come to describing it was the feeling when you suddenly become hyper conscious of yourself and your place in the world. The sudden striking feeling were you are no longer rushing through your day half on autopilot but rather actually felt who you were and your role in all of reality. An out of body experience where you just paused, even just mentally, and took stock of where you were. That was the feeling that had struck me when that demented spirit and his ring had hit me and the gang with his magic.

And then in the next moment I was standing someplace completely else, dressed in clothing I'd never worn before, and feeling… different. Yet oddly normal, as if where I was might be the most natural thing in the world. The first reaction would be the say that it was like waking from a dream but there was nothing slow about it like nor was it like an alarm turning on and causing you to start and snap awake. As I stood there I couldn't help but think of one of Pegasus' cards from the TCG, of all things. Toon Rollback. In my mind I saw my life as a piece of old-fashion film, the kind on the huge reels one might see in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and it was being cut with scissors, a chunk taken out representing the time between Yami Bakura hitting me with his magic and the Pharaoh summoning me to the field, then the whole thing being stitched back together. The closest I'd ever come to blacking out was when I'd slipped in a puddle of water at work and hit my head on the ground but even then I had vague memories of the moments afterwards, my mind slowly rebooting as I scared the hell out of everyone by going about my business. But this was different. A blink of an eye, that's all it was. One moment feeling the magic strike me the next finding myself standing on a massive dueling field, dressed in the robes of Endymion.

I looked down at myself with mild wonder. The robes were beautiful and ornate yet oddly comfortable. Even the double shoulder pads and huge sleeves didn't hinder my movements. The huge golden belt-like structure I wore around my waist was made of a very light metal and as I rolled my shoulders I found that the entire thing, despite the heft of the material, was rather easy to wear. 'Magic,' my mind reminded me and I smirked a little at that. The upper part of my head was covered in Endymion's mask but unlike the other times I'd wore masks and headpieces I didn't feel the odd twinge of pain or itch. Instead the headpiece seemed to be an extension of my body, no different than my hair, without any restriction to my vision. The lenses in the mask functioned like my glasses, thankfully in both the fact that I could easily see and I thought I'd have looked REALLY stupid with glasses on over that mask and helm. Endymion's cape fluttered slightly in the breeze that came from everywhere and nowhere and looking back I was surprised to see that the metal ring that was behind all the Endymion cards wasn't actually attached to my clothing… in fact it didn't seem to be metal at all, as my cape easily passed through it. 'Magic,' I again reminded myself as I gripped Endymion's staff (and internally I cackled in glee at having a magical staff and wondered if I could organically declare to Yami Bakura "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!") before turning towards Yugi and his friends.

Looking at them I quickly realized that we were deep into the duel as all of them had been summoned to the field. Tea was still hiding under the card that the Pharaoh had set, with Yugi, Tristan, and Joey trying to hide her. On the other side of the field was a card I was pretty sure was a certain bug with a taste for man flesh and above us-

"…you know I've had dreams about this but I'm the giant and there is a sexy blonde woman with me," I said, looking at the two of them. I turned to the others. "So, what actually have we gotten- uh, guys?" I saw the gang was staring at me, rather startled. "What?"

"Edwin?" Tea said from where she knelt on the ground. "Is that you?"

"Uh, yeah." I frowned at their confusion. They were all dressed up to and they knew I had thrown my card into Yugi's deck. It couldn't be the headpiece and mask as that still left my lower face uncovered and Tristan had on something covering the bottom of his face. "Okay, am I missing something here?"

"You just… look different," Yugi said.

Tristan nodded. "Older."

"What's with the beard, man?"

Beard?

I reached up and my eyes went wide as a felt a very familiar bit of scruff on my chin. Hurrying over I grabbed Joey's head, his helm rather shiny, and looked at my reflection.

It was me.

The real me. The me before I'd awoken in this crazy world. Mid-Thirties me with my circle beard and no weird red stripes… it was me. The true me. I couldn't help but smirk, staring back at my reflection. It just felt so good to be myself again, even if for only a little while.

"Well well well," Yami Bakura said, reminding me that he was here. "Now this is rather interesting. These forms are a blending of your favorite cards and your soul… and here we have someone whose soul doesn't quite match his form. An old soul in a young body."

"Oh, you have no idea," I snarked before I turned to the gang. "Alright, so I got the general gist that we are the cards in the card game, Whitey Bulger up there is now evil, and there are two Yugis. Anything else I need to know about?" 

"You are… handling this rather well," Tristan said after a few moments.

"I've led an interesting life," I stated, rolling my hand to motion for them to continue. "Facts, details, information… I can't make bricks without clay." 

"Bricks? Ed man, we're playin' a card game for our very lives!" Joey complained.

"That was a Sherlock Holmes quote you… nevermind, information please!"

"I'd kind of like some myself," Tea complained. "I woke up dressed like this under some cardboard and the guys are trying to hide me from giant Bakura…"

"Trust me, you want to stay hidden from him."

The Spirit of the Ring looked at us with a smirk. "Discuss it all you want, you are merely wasting your time."

"He's right, we have to do something now," Yugi said, stepping forward. "Maybe if I-" I grabbed his wrist, an idea suddenly striking me on how I could really screw with Zorc. "Hey! Edwin, what-"

"Actually he's dead wrong," I said, giving Yugi a small shove back before I stepped forward.

"Hmmm?" Yami Bakura said, regarding me with interest. "Have you come to die? Chosen to sacrifice yourself to save the others?"

The Pharaoh spoke up. "Edwin, stay back now!"

"Think of a strategy to deal with whatever problem we have. I'm going to talk to our host."

Yami Bakura laughed. "Are you going to try and beg for mercy? Play upon the bonds of friendship and humanity to try and get me to release you? I'm afraid that won't work… I have none of that. But if you wish to waste what little time you have left…" He rolled his free hand dismissively.

I though merely smirked. "Naaaaaah, I think I'll do something I've always wanted to do." I looked down at my wrist before looking right back up. "Dormammu, I've come to bargain!"

Yami Bakura stared at me for a moment, a rather befuddled look on his face, before he began to chuckle and then outright laugh. I merely stood there, letting him do just that, occasionally glancing over at the Pharaoh and the gang as they stopped discussing strategies and watched Zorc cackle at my comment. It was rather over the top, with him throwing back his head and howling with laughter, but then again he was a villain from Japan and he had one on Ultron that his plan wasn't "Rocks fall, everybody dies.".

"Oh, now this is interesting. I sensed that you weren't truly a part of Yugi and his little friend's group. An outsider… an impurity trying to fit in but unable to. Too old, too different, too awkward. You don't function like them, think like them, even though you long to be a part of their inner circle." He was hitting on points that were completely true but I did my best not to let him see that. Had I actually been a 20-something his taunts might have actually worked to shake me but I was in my mid 30s and knew my demons. I began to hum to myself…

'_I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed. Get along with the voices inside of my head. You're trying to save me stop holdin' your breath, and you think I'm crazy, you think I'm crazy…'_

"So tell me, what is it you propose?" Yami Bakura asked leaning in close, eyes showing malicious interest. "A trade? Perhaps something of value for your lives? I knew the likes of little Yugi and his friends would never barter with me… but you? You are far more pragmatic, I can tell. You don't have their virtues. Whatever is it do you have to offer me? Your servitude, perhaps? The puzzle?" He grinned, face nearly splitting apart as the grin grew wider and wider. "Or," he whispered, "are you going to turn on them? Offer their souls in exchange for your own safety. Is that it? Would you sacrifice them to save yourself?"

I could feel the others staring at me, their gazes burning into the back of my head. But I refused to even glance away to reassure them. I couldn't afford weakness, not now. I stared up at the giant form of the series' Big Bad… and smirked right back. "Not in the slightest. See… I have something you'll want desperately, Palpatine. So desperately that you will give ME what I want."

"I desire only a few things… seven things to be exact. The Puzzle will soon be mine, along with Pegasus' Millennium Eye. Then the other Millennium Items. And you… do not wield any of them."

"Thank God for that," I said drolly. The Millennium Items simply gave me the creeps. They offered too much power and the cost to forge them… the blood of so many innocents… it had been far too high. And the fact that only two of the wielders could be called 'heroic' (as Shadi did jack-shit so he was at best the ghostly quest giver… and even then had also given the villains their items) meant I wanted nothing to do with them. Let alone wield one myself. I slowly began to turn away from Zorc, looking about the shadow realm. "Your freedom, creature. I'm offering you your freedom." 

"Whatever are you talking about?" He gestured at the board. "I am not the one whose soul is trapped in a card, forced into this Shadow Game."

"Yes… my soul. And their souls. And you. And Big Yugi up there."I gestured at the shadows around me. "We are all in this Shadow Game. Trapped until it ends. And… it's our move." My grin became more sinister. "So what happens… if we do nothing?"

Yami Bakura blinked at that. "What?"

"What if we do nothing? There's no time limit, you didn't set one. Not like Pegasus; see he was smart. He put a time limit on all this when he first faced Yugi. You rushed in and in doing so? You trapped yourself. It is now our turn and if we do nothing… the Shadow Game doesn't end. It goes on and on and on. Trapping you."

Yami Bakura looked about him at that, realizing just what I was saying.

"Is… is that right?" Tea asked.

"I mean… yeah, if the duel doesn't have a time limit so long as the Other Me doesn't say it's the end of his turn…" Yugi pointed out.

Joey though huffed. "So what, we just wait here? Forever?"

"Why not?" Tristan said, getting into my idea. "These are our souls, not our bodies… what is time to us? Better than one of us dying!"

The Pharaoh made his presence known. "Except your bodies are around us and time is continuing on for them. If we don't do something eventually all of us will need food and water." I hid my wince at that; I'd forgotten that time was still going on around us. So it wasn't the timeless trap Dr. Strange had created.

Yami Bakura cackled. "That's right! You'll need to hurry if you don't want to return to a corpse!" He laughed, mocking our plight. "What a heavy burden you have! You must rush into battle, sacrificing at least one of you to my Man-Eater Bug, or you must all find your souls trapped forever in the Shadow Realm, your bodies decaying as you desperately attempt to find way to avoid the inevitable!" He threw out his arms. "YOU ARE DOOMED EITHER WAY! THERE IS NO SAVING ALL OF YOU! SO WHO WILL BE THE ONE TO DIE AN AGONIZING DEATH?" 

Tristan stepped forward. "I got this guys… I've been to that graveyard before."

I heard Joey slam the butt of his sword into Tristan's gut. "Sorry pal, but I can't let ya do that. Not this time." I heard him race forward. "Don't worry, I got that overgrown-"

I shot my arm out and clothslined Joey, sending him to the ground.

"And I'm sorry too, Joey, but I can't have you being a heroic idiot just yet." I turned back to Yami Bakura; during his little gloating it had occurred to me just what I could do to get out of this mess. It was a risk… a huge one… but worst case we used the original plan from the anime. Still, if I could keep Joey from having to face the Reaper of the Cards and keep the young ones from the trauma of thinking one of them had died, I would.

I once more stepped forward.

"And what's this? Have you decided to trade your life for theirs? Is that your bargain?" Yami Bakura asked. "Plenty have been willing to trade away so much they hold dear just to save their own pathetic lives. Have you come to do that too? To grovel before me and beg me to slay them in exchange for you merely having to live with the guilt that you let them die?" 

"Nope," I said, popping the 'p'. "See, you seem to forget that we are still trapped." I began to pace. "Yeah yeah yeah, my body is out there. Same with the rest of the gang. Living bodies that will die in a few days." I slowly turned my head to lock eyes with Yami Bakura. "Same as you."

He frowned.

"I think you've been a spirit so long-and don't lie I already figured out you aren't the real Bakura, just some ghost or wraith that's using his form-you've forgotten completely what it is like to be alive. To live, breathe, all that. And right now… the exact same problem the five of us have… you have." My smile grew all the more sly. "Except all the worse."

"What are you talking about?" Yami Bakura demanded.

I gestured at myself. "I am a soul in a trading card. I don't feel hunger, I don't need sleep. I can go on and on and on and not feel a thing. But you? Heh. You need all that. Tell me… when is the last time you felt hunger pangs? Were so tired you couldn't keep your eyes open? Needed to pee so badly you thought you would burst? Well, I don't know about the last time but I do now you are about to feel all of that very soon. While I can stand here and taunt you about it. Make it all the worst by never letting you forget any of the pain you are going through. Remind you of how tired you are and how much you just want to shut your eyes… does the Shadow Realm allow you to sleep though? Or will you only feel the fatigue?" A thought occurred to me. "Magic comes with a price. Takes something. A cost. I wonder… could it be your energy? Your endurance?" I saw his mouth twitch, ever so slightly, and knew I had him. "So it's even worse that just you being awake and conscious. You are constantly being drained, a siphon of energy being pulled away from you, drop by drop by drop. Do you feel it right now? Stealing a bit more from you, making it all the more painful to sit there as your stomach grumbles?"

"Shut your mouth you little wretch!" Yami Bakura snarled.

But I wasn't done. Not by a long shot. "When is the last time you ate? Or slept? Big Yugi might be tired but he at least had a decent meal. So that will help him. But you? I bet you've been stalking us for a while, forcing the real Bakura to ignore his biological needs. Can't ignore them anymore… that clenching in your stomach, the way the tension is building behind your eyes as you grow more tired and just want to sleep, the weariness in your muscles. They say the human body can only go a few days without water… and dehydration is a terrible way to die."

"I said shut up!" Yami Bakura roared.

I rolled my wrist about in a lazy dismissive gesture. "And yes, I know that my body is out there. But the thing is I'm right now in a magical coma. Saving energy." My smile blossomed like the Grinch's when he got a terrible, awful idea. "So all we have to do is stand here and watch you destroy yourself." I paused, looking down at his deck. "Unless… you forfeit the game. Lay your hand on your deck and end all this. Free us, free the real Bakura, and bugger off to whatever darkness spawned you. That is my bargain."

"Never," Yami Bakura snarled. "I will find a way out of this and I will destroy you! Your suffering will be legendary… in all planes of existence the tales of what I'll do to your pathetic soul will be whispered with dread!"

"The only thing you'll do is suffer and die like the pathetic little rodent you are," I snarled. "Forfeit the Shadow Game! NOW!"

"You are going to risk them all?" he asked and I could tell he was latching on to anything he could find in the hopes of getting me to reconsider. He turned his focus from me to the others. "Are you willing to let him gamble with your lives?"

I turned to see Tea glaring at the giant Bakura. "You already forced us to gamble with our lives! With your way we have to say goodbye to one of us. With Edwin's idea we have a chance."

"A pretty good one, from the way you are trying to convince us not to go with it," Tristan pointed out. "I think you know he's right!"

"Yeah!" Joey declared, walking over and clapping me on the shoulder. "Thanks for stoppin' me from doin' something stupid, pal." He looked up at Yami Bakura and sneered. "We go with Edwin's plan." 

"Because we'd rather be together than play your game!" Little Yugi said firmly. "You want to force us apart, to make us pick the hardest choices, knowing that not only with it cost us a friend but fill us forever with guilt that we couldn't save them. You are evil and we aren't going to play your game anymore." With that Yugi tossed down the Dark Magician's staff. Tristan followed by throwing his Cyber Gun away, and soon Joey's sword and Tea's staff joined the pile.

The Pharaoh finally chose to speak at that moment. "And you are forgetting one thing, spirit: there is a way out of this where no one falls. If you forfeit this match and end this Shadow Duel then all of us survive." He closed his eyes, a slight smile tugging on his lips. "My turn will go on until you fall. The choice is yours."

Yami Bakura looked at us, eyes wide and filled with hate, and slammed his hands down on the giant playfield we were on. "Stop this! Make your move! Attack! Defend! Do something!"

"Do something," I said in a nasally mocking tone. "Is this what the mighty Spirit of the Millennium Ring has been reduced to? Whining like a petulant child?" I couldn't help but snicker. "How long were you locked away, plotting your revenge? 1000 years? 2000? More than that? Gleefully rubbing your hands together, thinking about all you would do when you were finally free, how you'd claim all the Millennium Items and maybe that would win you the respect of all the other gods and goddesses? That maybe daddy would finally say he loved you? And then, on your first attempt, put your plan into motion and what happens?" 

"Edwin…" The Pharaoh warned.

"You get trapped by me… a lowly mortal! Someone who can't even see without his glasses beat you and trapped you like the birch tree you are!" I began to laugh even harder. "I mean… can you hear them? I bet you can. Listen closely… and you can hear every demon and vile filth… laughing."

"Who… who are you!?" Zorc raged.

"I am the Devil in the Pale Moonlight," I said, rolling my tongue against my teeth. "And you never stood a chance. You know why? Because you can project yourself out as being so big and so powerful but in reality you are JUST. SO. SMALL." I began to shake. "Heheheheh." My body trembled even as Yami Bakura and the others stared at me and after a moment I threw back my head and let rip a Joker laugh to make Hamill proud.

"You… you…" Yami Bakura grabbed his deck and pulled out a card. "Let's see you laugh when I force you to kill your friends! Change of Hearts!" He slammed the card down on the field and the Real Bakura's soul appeared… only to pause when all around us the Shadow Realm shuddered.

My laughter died and my mood went to cold mockery.

"Someone just made an illegal move," I whispered.

"…no," Yami Bakura hissed. "You…"

"Tricked you. Ya. Got you so mad you didn't think straight, made an illegal move… and Big Yugi, please tell the Spirit of the Ring the punishment for making an illegal move in a Shadow Game."

"He loses the duel," The Pharaoh said, thrusting out his hand. "Penalty Game! Mind Swap!" The confused Real Bakura and Yami Bakura suddenly swapped places. "For your illegal move I banish you to the card graveyard, Spirit! Begone!"

"NO!" the Spirit screamed and before The Pharaoh could complete his magical attack the winged Yami Bakura leapt at me, wrapping his fingers around my throat. I fell, struggling to tear him away, the others crying out, but I found myself falling forward, the cold, dead fingers of Zorc clenched around my windpipe, his maniac eyes staring down at me, spittle falling from his lips as he pressed down on top of me, slamming my head into the ground over and over-

~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi blinked as he awoke, shaking himself as he pulled himself up from the forest floor. He looked over to see Bakura pulling himself up, looking at them owlishly as he tried to figure out what had just happened. He didn't need the powers of his Puzzle to know that this Bakura was the true one, their friend from school who was one of the kindest and most gentle souls in all of Domino. The others were slowly coming awake as well, sitting up from where they had fallen. Joey rubbed his eyes, Tristan groaned, and Tea let out a yawn.

"You okay, Bakura?" Yugi asked.

"I am now," the british teen stated. "Thank you."

"Man, I just dreamed a giant Bakura went mental," Tristan complained.

"Yeah, me too pal," Joey said.

A scream pierced the air.

Yugi and his friends all started, whirling around to find Edwin screaming, scrambling backwards wildly, thrashing and flinging his left hand about while his right went to his throat. His eyes were wide with panic and fear, darting about with no sense or reason, his face a mask of utter pain and terror.

"EDWIN!" Tea cried out but the man kept twitching and spasming, fighting off threats that weren't there. Occasionally he would strike himself in the face, one blow sending his glasses flying as he tried to scramble back, eventually coming to rest under a tree. Bakura stepped away, his hand rising up only to fall down limply at his side. Yugi, for his part, watched on with pity as Tristan and Joey darted forward and grabbed hold of Edwin before he truly hurt himself, but he still was gasping for air, his breath coming out in rapid blasts. Tea knelt down and began to stroke his hair, murmuring softly as she did so. "It's okay, it's okay. You're safe."

Joey looked at Tristan. "I don't think that was a dream, man."

"I don't think so either."

"Edwin?" Mokuba called out, emerging from the tent rubbing sleep from his eyes. "What is… Edwin?"

Yugi watched, fascinated, as Edwin's entire body trembled, his jaw clenched and eyes slamming shut as he squeezed his hands into fists. Tea continued to run her fingers through his hair to help him calm but Joey and Tristan let go of his wrists and moved over towards the frightened boy.

"What happened to him?" Mokuba asked.

"We… well, it's hard to explain," Tristan said weakly. "But Edwin took on someone very bad and they got in a nasty shot before we got rid of him." 

"But that jerk's gone now, dontcha worry about it," Joey said, looking over to see Edwin reigning himself in, suppressing his fear and turmoil in the face of the startled young man. "Ed and the rest of us saw to that."

"Joey's right," Edwin got out, finally opening his eyes. The wildness was gone but Yugi could still see a hint of the fearful madness in them, especially when he glanced at Bakura. But there was something else… something that was just as bad in Yugi's opinion. It was as if Edwin suspected that the Bakura before them still wasn't the true Bakura. And he knew he'd have to make sure that Edwin didn't hold what had happened with the Spirit of the Ring against the true Bakura, for he was just as much a victim as the older man. "I'm fine, Mokuba."

The boy pressed his lips together. "Seto tells me that a lot… and whenever he does I know he's not fine."

"How about fine enough," Edwin said with a weak mirthful huff. "Come 'ere, kid." He gestured for Mokuba to sit down beside him and Tea moved to his other side, keeping herself close in case he had another panic attack. Tristan and Joey moved to clean up from supper, wanting to give the other three some space. "How about a story, huh? Something light and fun?" He was grinning but Yugi knew how utterly false that was. It was a smile that one wore when they didn't want anyone to ask how they were doing, how were they feeling. A smile that didn't fool the people who cared about you but they didn't mention that because they knew that you needed them believe the lie. Yugi had worn that smile himself many times when he'd come home from school and his grandpa had asked him how his day was. "Hmmm… how about… no, that might not be age appropriate…"

Yugi quickly walked away from the group, their voices growing fainter until they were little more than murmurs in the wind, mixing with the quietness of the forest. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, he knew, not after what had just happened with the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, and yet he knew he needed to get some space from the rest of the group, to collect his thoughts.

Sitting down on the ground next to a fallen tree stump he closed his eyes and began to slow his breathing. He imagined that the darkness beneath his eyelids was a great chamber, similar to the ones his grandfather would tell him about. The hidden world in the pyramids and temples throughout the world that the elder Moto had journeyed through when he'd been a young man seeking out adventure. Yugi let himself fall into the darkness but it wasn't like he'd tripped or he'd tumbled from a plane. He wasn't hurtling out of control, spinning about as the air whipped around him and the ground raced towards him. No... this was more controlled. It was like sinking into a warm bath or diving into a pool. He let himself slip down, further and further into the darkness that was all around him, lapsing into a meditative state. And the farther he fell the more the darkness began to give way to reveal things all about him. At first they were nebulous, shapeless, but with every breath he took they gained greater form. A stone floor. Walls carved with images of the past. Torches were hung, their flames flickering and weak but growing in strength. Stairs... many stairs. Some the correct way but others turning sideways or upside down. And they had to lead somewhere and the moment he thought that doors appeared. But doors to where? Other rooms. Many looked like the chamber he found himself in but he found that rather boring and thus other rooms were created... his room when he'd been a little boy, toys scattered about and posters on the wall. School and his homeroom. The game shop. All of this he formed into being within his mind, creating order in the chaos that was his thoughts, and in doing so he knew without even understanding how he knew that he had placed all his thoughts and memories and desires within those rooms, giving them space to breathe so that...

"There is no place to hide," a mature voice said.

Yugi turned and found himself staring at another version of, well, himself. Taller though, more mature, the baby fat and awkwardness of his youth giving way to lean features and a determined gaze. His face was sharper, and so was his body, and even his hair seemed more dangerous than Yugi's wild locks. Everything about the figure before him spoke of strength and power... it was how he had always imagined himself when he was alone in his room, dreaming of being strong enough to fight back against the bullies that tormented him. He could see that the figure was similar to the way the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was to Bakura and yet he knew at once that this being meant him no harm.

"I'm not quite sure I understand what you did but... you did very well," the other version of him stated. "But you didn't create this place just for me to admire it."

"No, I didn't," Yugi stated, stepping forward. "I-" He paused, verbally backing up and starting once more, wanting to get his thoughts properly organized. "Ever since I solved the Millennium Puzzle I sensed something within myself. Another force. At first I thought you were just an aspect of me unlocked by the Puzzle... all my strength and will crystallized so that I could act upon such feelings without my hack-ups getting in the way."

"I thought the same of myself," the other Him admitted. "I knew nothing save for your memories and thus believed I was you. Just a... darker version." The Other Him grimaced. "I suppose that is why I was... harsher with our opponents than I am now."

"I was going to ask about that," Yugi stated. "But you aren't me, are you?"

"I do not think so, no," the Other Him stated. "And yet..." he looked down at his hands. "This form... it feels right. Natural. I sense I could look different in here, if I wanted to, but I do not desire that. It would be..." Now it was Other Him's turn to grasp for the right words. "...unpleasant," he said finally with a helpless shrug.

"So you are and aren't me. We are just... connected, somehow."

"Indeed," Other Him stated. "As you have dueled my ability to be my own person has grown stronger. Before it was very much like I was dreaming... you may have used my power but I was not there to truly guide you. Now I sense our minds have further split, so that we have become two rather than one." He turned and began to walk about the chamber, running his hands along the images carved into the walls. "I believe though that the two of us would be unable to converse as we are now if it weren't for the duel we just fought in... and the foe that separated us within that Shadow Realm."

"The Spirit of the Millennium Ring," Yugi said. "I think... you might be like him." He considered what he had just said and his eyes went wide before he began to flail his hands about. "Wait! I didn't mean it like that! I can tell you aren't like him because you aren't evil and wanting to imprison me in a card and-"

"Yugi," the Other Him said gently, with bemused smile on his lips. "It's quite alright. I understand what you are getting at. And I do think you are right. Much like the being that inhabited Bakura's Ring I too am a spirit linked to a Millennium Item." He looked about the chamber. "I think when you completed the puzzle you allowed me to be set free. And I also think the reason why your grandfather failed to solve the puzzle is clear."

"I was meant to solve it," Yugi finally said. "Because of our connection."

"Destiny is a fickle thing," the Other Him, the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, stated. "And when it chooses to assert its will can shock us all."

Yugi nodded at that, moving to stand closer to the Spirit. "What do we do now?"

"What we set out to do when we came to this island: free your grandfather." When Yugi looked at him in surprise the Spirit smiled. "I still see him as my grandfather, Yugi. Your memories are strong and the bonds you forge are mine now as well. And even if they weren't... our bond means that I can do no less than aid you."

Yugi nodded in gratitude. "Thank you. And I promise, when this is done, we'll figure out just who you are."

"Thank you. But now go... your friends need you. I will be here, ready to assist you when you need me."

"You can do more than that," Yugi said even as he began to rise up. "You have my permission to share my mind. You don't have to hide here waiting for a duel."

The Spirit smiled in gratitude, choosing not to say a word. His pleasant demeanor remained until Yugi completed disappeared; then his smile fell and he began to walk around the labyrinth that the boy had created within the mind that the two of them shared.

Yugi had created what each of them would only learn latter was called a 'mind palace'. It was a way of organizing thoughts and memories. Everyone had a variation of it, from the most basic to complex mental representations. For most of the population it was merely thoughts that were tucked away and only pulled forth when needed, like a junk drawer where the memories that were move used always ended up on the top and front white those that fell out of favor moved to the back and were eventually lost. Others were able to trigger memories with smells or sights or sounds or key words. And far more complex were visual representations within one's mind, where memories could easily be stored, left undisturbed for decades only to then be recalled in stunning detail when needed.

Yuig hadn't truly understood what he had created and the scope of it and thus it had been easy for the Spirit to hide within the chambers his own thoughts and memories, blocked off by doors that looked like the carved walls of the great chamber.

It was far more sinister sounding than it actually was. The Spirit didn't know who he was and wasn't hiding that information from his partner. And while he had created a few rooms he'd only put a memory, singular, into a sole room, leaving the others empty.

'And I did so to protect him,' the Spirit thought as he touched one of the many images of the Dark Magician that had been carved into the stone wall. The mental construction was so real that he could 'feel' the cool rough stone on the tips of his fingers. 'As much as it grieves me to do so. I wish I could let Yugi know about this... but at this point I don't know enough myself about what had happened and I will not risk drawing him into needless danger.'

He drew a distorted C upon the image of the Dark Magician and the carving twisted and reshaped until it resembled not their favorite and most trusted Duel Monster but another Magician: Endymion.

The door that had been hidden within the wall swung open and the Spirit stepped into the memory...

_The gang was crying out in shock, rushing forward to try and help Edwin who had fallen to the ground, eyes wide and hands clawing at the talon-like fingers of the Spirit of the Millennium Ring. The dark wraith was throttling the man, fingers tightly wrapped around his neck as he squeezed harder and harder. The real Bakura looked on in shock and the Spirit didn't know what to do. The duel was over and yet it continued on in a new twisted form. And the stakes were Edwin's life._

_And then all of them began to faint, the Spirit watching as Yugi and his friends fell into a heap, their forward momentum causing them to fall face first and skid forward for a few moments before coming to a stop in a tangle of limbs. The Real Bakura fell backwards in a heap and even Edwin was still. The Spirit of the Ring didn't notice at first, his focus solely on the man that had bested him, but then he suddenly jerked up, his hands yanked off of Edwin's throat along with the rest of his body. He was lifted up, rising so that no part of him touched the dueling area. The Spirit of the Ring hung for a moment before he was thrown by some invisible force and when he landed the Spirit of the Puzzle was startled to see his rival was once more his size. _

_"You dare?"_

_The voice boomed out all around them, feminine and beautiful and terrible. Illuminating yet cold. Breath-taking and bone-chilling. Both Spirits turned as one and finally looked up to see a woman standing before them, towering over them. Her hair was a light yellow, like faded flower petals, and her skin was as pale as ice on a winter's night. The only thing that was lighter than her flesh was the long dress that flowed down her form like cream and a weak light emanated from it, making it hard to look at her. But what the Spirit of the Puzzle would forever remember was her face, for she had the features of one who could charm the world with a smile._

_Instead her eyes were narrowed and her mouth was twisted in a thunderous scowl that made his heart ache._

_"Did you think I would meekly stand by as you hurt him, brother dear?" the new arrival asked. "He who is more precious to me than all the wealth in all the planes of existence?"_

_"Who are you to question me?" The Dark Bakura demanded._

_She smiled, bemused by that. "Do you not remember? No... you don't. You are merely a fragment of my brother, a part of his game. A splint that came off a greater whole and believes itself to be far larger than it is. You are my brother but only a fraction. And that will not save you."_

_"Save me?" The Spirit of the Ring roared, hands clenching into fists as he rose. "Do you know who I am, woman? The power I possess? I do not know how you entered this Shadow Game but you will regret it!" He rushed her as he had Edwin but the new arrival merely raised her hand and when he was within reach of her lashed out and backhanded him, the crack of her strike nearly felling the Spirit of the Puzzle while it did just that to Dark Bakura._

_"Oh you pathetic little patchwork," she said, looking down at her fallen foe with disgust. "I know exactly what you are... great power torn apart, a small piece stitched onto an abused soul. It makes you a threat, yes, but you are a pale imitation of your full self, my dark brother. You disgrace him by believing yourself to be him. Oh yes, I know who you are." Her lips curled into a sneer. "But you know nothing of me. Woman? Please." She leaned down but then locked eyes with the Spirit of the Puzzle. "I am a God."_

_He trembled at that, feeling the truth weigh upon him, forcing him to accept without any denial. She was all she claimed to be._

"_Know this, patchwork… I will not interfere with what my dark brother is planning. But just as he has in you as his piece I have mine." She reached down and placed a finger on Edwin and suddenly the man was as large of the other three, his body draped over the stump they'd been playing their shadow duel on. The Goddess reached down and stroked his cheek, trailing her fingers along his face in a gentle caress that all the same left bloody marks as her nails nipped at his skin. She looked at him for a moment before thrusting out her hand. "Go to the realm of death, patchwork. A… time out, as the mortals of this time say… is needed." The Spirit of the Ring cried out in outrage but that did not prevent him from disappearing. "He will return," she warned the Spirit of the Puzzle, not bothering to look at him. Her focus was on Edwin, staring at him with an odd mixture of emotions. Tenderness yes but also… possessiveness. She touched his blood and brought it to her lips, licking her fingers clean and smiling in pleasure even a heartbroken tear rolled down her cheek. "His stitched together soul is too powerful to be banished in such a way, as you have banished others. He will return and you must be better." She finally turned to look at him. "Do you believe what I say?"_

"_I do. Of him… and your nature." The Spirit looked down at Edwin's unconscious form. "What did you do to him? Are you the reason he looks so much older?"_

_Her laughter was a mimicry of amusement but there was a coldness there that could not be chased away so easily. "You see his soul. His true self. All I did was free him from the vessel the Patchwork placed him in. It was already cracking, unable to contain him… there are beings in this world far too large to be contained in such small spaces. I think you would understand that best."_

_The Spirit narrowed his eyes. "You know that he is planning something, the evil Spirit of the Ring."_

"_I know my brother is and that his stitched together minion plays a role. So do you. So does my Edwin."_

"_And you have the power to stop it but won't?" He waited but when she didn't respond he asked, "Then why don't you?"  
_

"_Because it matters little to me what happens to any of you. The world could be destroyed and all life as we know it wiped out… yet something would survive, even if it took millions of years, and things would begin again. Such is the cycle. Good? Evil? These are your constructs, not mine. I am beyond them."  
_

"_Yet you saved Edwin," the Spirit pointed out. "Why?"_

_Her eyes when pure black, sucking up all light that came in contact with them. "Because he is __**MINE**__."_

And then the next thing he knew Yugi was descending into the chamber.

'I do not know who you are, Edwin Chaos,' the Spirit thought to himself. 'I can't be sure you even know yourself. But one of great power claims you as their own.' He clenched his hand into a fist. 'And thus while you are not my enemy… I can't count you as an ally anymore.'


	8. Duelist Kingdom Part 6- Fear Itself

I'd been expecting the scream.

That didn't make things better.

There is an old quote by Hitchcock about the difference between surprise and suspense. Have a group of people talking for 15 minutes and then have a bomb go off… that is surprise. 15 minutes of normal followed by 15 seconds of shock. It makes you jump and scream and your heart race. But show the audience the bomb being planted and put a clock in the background so they know how much time is left… and suddenly you have 15 horrible minutes of dread, where you are mentally screaming at the characters to go do something, to get out of there, to stop talking about what they had for breakfast or what's in the paper. And yet they don't and every second that tips by just makes things worse. Every comment they make suddenly gains a horrid irony and darker mean. And even if they all escape the dread remains. That is suspense. And suspense is all the worse.

I had been suffering through that as I sat with Tea and Mokuba. Joey had decided to share some stories, having realized that I was still a bit out of it after having some deranged god try to strangle me to death and needed something to take my mind off things, but I'd begun to move past that and settle into my newest nervousness of waiting for that scream to pierce the darkness. They thought it was me being worried about Bakura and thus the gang was doing their best to make amends for the kid so I wouldn't jump when he snuck up behind me, but in reality I was anxious to get the next set of events underway. I knew Mai was going to lose and let out that scream it was only a matter of when. It was like when you knew someone was going to call you at a certain time so you didn't really want to do anything, lest you get caught up in a task you couldn't stop, so you were left pacing and fidgeting, waiting for the call to come.

And when it did come I probably jumped far more than I would have had I not been expecting Mai to let loose a scream.

"What was that?" Tea said, having pressed herself tightly against me and causing my White Knight Syndrome to kick back into high gear. It didn't help that Mokuba had also started as the cry tore through the night. Without thinking I wrapped an arm around each of them and tensed for a fight I knew wouldn't actually come.

"It sounded like Mai!" Tristan exclaimed, leaping to his feet.

"Man, she must be in trouble!" Joey declared and I couldn't help but be impressed that he'd forgotten all his animosity against her and instantly switched to concern. For all his faults when someone was in trouble, no matter what they had done to him, he was willing to leap forward to defend them. "It came from that direction!"

"You guys stay there!" Tristan called out as he, Joey, and Bakura began to run towards where the scream had come from. I spotted Yugi emerging from the forest and wiggled free of Tea and Mokuba, hauling myself to my feet and giving them each a hand up.

"We aren't really going to stay back here meekly while they go handle that, right?" I asked.

"No way!" Mokuba said with a grin, fired up despite how late it was. "Let's go!"

"I'm with you," Tea said.

"Try and keep up," I said and the three of us began to hurry along the path, quickly catching up with the others. I made sure that Mokuba and Tea were firmly with the rest of our group before I flashed a smile and decided to show them what an over 6 foot tall man with long legs could really do, instantly leaving them in the dust as I extended my gait. I charged forward, my bathrobe snapping behind me, and burst out into the clearing in time to see Mai's dueling platform coming down… and the dark-clothed beast PaniK striding towards her, an arrogant grin on his face. I was suddenly struck by the fact that the Eliminator reminded me of a Hellsing character… some vampire that Alucard would take out in one episode and in a rather gory way, to be sure. The size was one thing and his mouth was far too big and I was sure he was suffering from the same problem Anderson had of having ten thousand teeth in his mouth. He was standing there in his "I'm trying too hard" black leather long coat (and I happily ignored the fact that I owned one of those coats myself) and black skull cap and stupid eye makeup, all of which served to make him at once look like the baddest motherfucker around while also looking like the lamest 90s emo villain ever to come out of a Hot Topic. He walked up to Mai and before she could even do anything he grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her up.

The entire world went blood red and I was pretty sure my vision switched to that of the T-800.

Looking around I spotted a thick tree branch and made a sidestep to grab it, hardly slowly down as I grabbed it and got a good grip before charging forward. I could hear the others thundering up behind me, having caught up, and I came to a stop a few feet from PaniK and Mai, hefting my weapon.

"Let her go, you filth," I snarled, causing the two to look up at me; Mai with a dazed dull glassy look that did not belong on her face and PaniK with malicious amusement. "Let her go! You will not touch her again." I raised my free hand and made the universal gesture for "Bring it, bitch". "Come here and finish it," I said, completing the quote.

"So… the loser has a champion," PaniK said mockingly, still holding onto Mai's wrist in a grip that was far too tight; I could see Mai's hand going a few shades paler than her natural skin tone. "Because that's what she is, boy." He began to approach me. "She's a loser… lost to me crying and sobbing, trembling in her boots. What does it say about you that you defend a-"

I leapt forward and swung the branch, feeling it crack against PaniK's face and crushing his nose, smearing it across his broad pompous face. The big man howled and dropped Mai but I already moved behind him and gave him another strike right on the back of the head, sending him to his knees. Joey, bless his impulsive soul, rushed forward and dragged Mai away before PaniK crushed her under his bulk.

"Hi," I panted, adjusting my grip on the branch as PaniK lurched back up to his feet, grabbing onto his broken nose and glaring at me between his fingers, "I'm Edwin. This is my stick. And I'm going to hit you with it till you get the fudge off this island!" I went for another swing but PaniK caught it and jerked me forward, forcing me to dive out of the way before he could punch me. It was only because he was cupping his face with his other hand that he missed, half his focus on his ruined nose. I was 100% sure if 4Kids wasn't editing things he'd have blood gushing down his face. "Huh… muscle memory. Apparently I know some fighting moves." The best I knew from my real life was street brawling, aka thrash about and pray you did damage. This was much better. God bless anime having every main character know how to fight! I fell into a mix-martial arts brawler stance. "Neat."

"You will pay for that… I will see you cast off this island!" PaniK snapped, using just his fingers to break the stick in half.

"Aw, is Ser Gregor scared of taking me on?" I taunted.

"I can easily defeat some loser who…" PaniK blinked, whatever threat he was going to make dying in his throat as he asked, befuddled, "Are you in pajamas?"

"Yes. Yes I am." I ran my hands along my bathrobe.

"_**You**_ are the one Pegasus put a bounty on?" 

"At least I don't look like Agent Smith's rebellious teenage son!" I shot back. "Aw, did I hurt your feelings? Or are you only used to your uncle talking to you like that before he slips behind you and-"

"That's enough, Edwin!" The Pharaoh declared, having at some point swapped out with Yugi (and 4kids deciding to cut my retort). "We will get nowhere if you continue trading insults with this man." He stepped forward, eyes narrowed, and focused his attention on Mai who was sitting on the ground, still shellshocked from all that had happened, before glancing back at PaniK. "You are an Eliminator, just like that duelist who pretended to be Kaiba, aren't you?!"

PaniK cackled at that. "Oh, yes and no little boy! I am an Eliminator… but there is no one like me!" He threw his hands out wide, giving us a good view of his crunched and twisted nose. "I am PaniK! The Player Eliminator! All who face me are left trembling and weak!" He nodded towards Mai who hadn't moved a muscle after Joey had yanked her away, staring with glassy eyes at the ground. "Come now Mai… tell them what it was like to face me… tell them!"

Mai flinched at that and my entire body trembled as pure rage replaced my blood and flooded my system. I had wanted Mai to grow as a person, to show some humility… but seeing her so utterly shattered, so scared and broken, it filled my gullet with disgust. I let loose a snarl, nostrils flaring as I stepped forward.

But the Pharaoh spoke before I could.

"Enough of this, PaniK! I know exactly what you are… a bully. Someone who attacks others to make themselves feel bigger and stronger than they really are. And there is only one way to deal with a bully and that is to show them that you aren't frightened of them. That their childish games don't work on you. And that is exactly what I am going to do right now." He pointed right at PaniK and declared. "Let's see you try your intimidation tactics on me… but I'll warn you now I don't scare easily! Especially when I am fighting for my friends! So it's time to duel-"

"Get in line, Yugi," I said, stepping forward and pulling out my own deck, glad I had snagged back Endymion before Mai had screamed. "Me and The Mountain already began our dance and I don't like it when people cut in." I rolled my neck, bones popping and cracking as I limbered up. "Besides… you and I have a difference of opinion. You think that bullies are just pathetic people who cover up for their own weaknesses. But I know differently. There are people in this world that are just vile. They don't have a reason for it, they don't have an explanation for it. And honestly trying to assign logic to their cruel actions? It's an insult to those that truly do have problems. You PaniK… you're a big man who enjoys causing pain not because your daddy never loved you or your mommy never tucked you in at night but because you are just wired wrong." I adjusted my bathrobe like it was a long coat and decided I'd already stolen from Doctor Who once I might as well again. "You're a monster! That's the role you are determined to play then it seems that I. Must Play. Mine!" I stepped forward and sneered. "The one that stops the monsters. So pull out your pathetic deck because I'm winning Mai's Star Chips back and then, just for the fun of it, I'm going to destroy you just like I destroyed Fakey! And just like I'm going to destroy every other stinking Eliminator that gets in my way! It's time to duel!"

But once more the Pharaoh cut in, physically thrusting out his hand to stop me.

"No. This is not the time for your violent ways. If you defeat him right now, with rage and hate, you do not prove him wrong. In fact you validate his entire world view. The only way to defeat a man like this is to show just how wrong he is. And you do that by dueling the proper way, through cunning rather than brute force, from skill rather than cruelty. I will show PaniK what it truly means to be a duelist." He moved towards the dueling platform. "Now, I will wager-"

"Hold up there, Qui Gon!" I snapped, spinning around so I was standing in front of him, blocking his way. "There is a time and place for lessons and learning moments but that isn't now. We aren't going to all show off our tummy tattoos and use the Care Bear Stare! You can't teach someone who doesn't want to learn and PaniK isn't interested in what you are preaching. Even if you do win he'll find some excuse as to why you are wrong and he is right and the duel didn't actually matter. You can see it right now on that ugly mug of his that he doesn't take you seriously. And when you beat him he will blow off everything and dismiss it. The only thing he will respond to is force. I won't go in haymaker style but I am going to utterly destroy every stupid monster he throws out that is supposed to be oh-so-scary…" I wiggled my fingers mockingly, "until he is scrambling to figure out a way to defeat me!"

"Your way is wrong Edwin. That is why I must duel… to not only show him but show you as well."

"News flash, Moto, but I am doing more than fine in this tournament so far so let's not begin questioning my skill. Second, this all comes back to respect doesn't it? Pegasus is kidnapping people, ripping out souls, and sending literal monsters out to fight CHILDREN. We have _**LONG**_ passed the point of Saturday Morning Cartoon lessons!"

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes and looked up at me, not impressed or moved in the slightly. "We become as bad as those we face when we stoop to their level."

"We allow them to get away with hurting others when we lazily wave away their actions all in the name of feeding your ego!"

"I am not waving away what PaniK has done but acting as him isn't the answer."

"Ha! So calling out kidnappers is bad but Mind Crushing foes and banishing them to the Shadow Realm is a-okay?"

~MC~MC~MC~

Off to the side Tristan leaned towards the rest of his friends. "Uh… they remember that they are supposed to be on the same side, right?"

"I… think so?" Joey said as Yugi and Edwin continued to bicker, shifting Mai a bit. She would occasionally look up at the two duelists that were arguing over who got to avenge her but otherwise she was trapped in a cycle of defeat and depression. "It's kinda hard ta tell. I mean, I know I fight with Yug all the time but this seems a bit… different."

"I get that he wants to help but Edwin needs to let Yugi do this," Tea stated firmly. "He handled the likes of Weevil just fine… this PaniK is no different." PaniK suddenly leered at her and Tea let out a yelp, going ramrod straight. "Eck! Okay… okay, maybe he's worse than Weevil but I know Yugi can take him!"

"No way!" Mokuba said, scowling at PaniK. He knew that the man before them had been sent by Pegasus and if he got the chance he would grab him and drag him right back to the jerk. "Edwin took out that fake that was using my brother's deck! And he knows a ton about dueling… he can take out PaniK easily!"

"Yes, Mokuba, but Yugi just pointed out that this is more than just defeating a duelist," Tea said gently. "He needs to teach PaniK a lesson… and I think show Mai something too."

"But Edwin's right that we can't always focus on teaching people things!" Mokuba exclaimed. "All the Eliminators are coming after us and we can't give them an inch! If we slip up one time then my brother will lose his company!"

"Yugi won't let that happen."

"No, Edwin won't let that happen!"

"Am I the only one that just wants PaniK to be beaten and doesn't care who takes him on?" Tristan asked. Bakura merely shrugged, focused on the argument.

Joey huffed, glaring at the tall brute. "Nah, I hear ya pal… I got half a mind to walk up to him and challenge him myself while those two fight-"

Yugi and Edwin both snapped their heads in Joey's direction and for a brief moment he saw golden energy pouring of Yugi while an Egyptian eye symbol glowed on his forehead while behind Edwin was a great moon and a figure cloaked in pale light and shadow with hands on his shoulders, only her wide malicious grin visible upon her shadowed face. Joey swallowed and took a step back and Yugi and Edwin went back to arguing with each other.

"Uh… on second thought I think I'll let them decide who goes first. I can… er… just wait here in case somethin' goes wrong."

"Yeah, that might be for the best," Bakura muttered, a weak smile on his lips.

"It doesn't matter who takes him on."

"Mai?" Tea said, Joey shifting the older duelist up a bit once he realized she had been the one speaking. "What did you say?"

"It doesn't matter who takes PaniK on. They'll just lose to him. Yugi and Edwin would be smart just to run now, save themselves the trouble."

"Aw, come on Mai, don't talk like that!" Joey said. "Yug takes out duelists like this punk without breakin' a sweat!"

"And Edwin has faced off with worst people than this guy!" Mokuba declared.

"No," Mai said softly, her voice hollow and without any emotion. "PaniK is different. Far different from any duelist they've taken on. He gets in your head, makes you mistrust your own judgment, and leaves you so frazzled and scared you can't think straight. He had me so twisted about I didn't know what I was doing. And… and he's going to do it to them too."

"Well, I suppose then that it is good that I am here now," a new voice called out. Everyone, from the teens to Yugi and Edwin, to PaniK himself, turned and watched as the arrival stepped out of the shadows of the forest.

"Renard?" Mokuba asked in surprise.

"You know him?" Bakura asked.

"Yeah, that's Renard. He's another Eliminator."

"Aw great, another one?" Joey exclaimed, moving to stand between his friends the blue-coated duelist who was walking towards them with an easy swagger.

"Not quite. I am not a… mere Eliminator. I am THEE Eliminator. The Head of the Eliminators. But do not worry… though I suspect that Pegasus would be quite happy if I made this into a challenge to try and retrieve Mokuba I am not interested in that." 

"Why not?" Mokuba asked, trying to make himself sound braver than he really was.

Renard frowned. "I do not hurt children. I only remain in this contest at the moment because I am required to do so by contract and honor dictates I fulfill it. But Pegasus is not my captain… he is not the one I am destined to stand beside and face the world. This will be the last time I ever work for him." He waited for Mokuba to silent acknowledge that before turning to the feuding duelists and PaniK. "Besides, I do not think Misters Chaos and Moto are interested in battling for such things. It is Miss Valentine's Star Chips they are interested in. Yet it is clear neither of you can decide who will face PaniK here."

"We almost have it settled," Edwin stated. "SantimoniousRichardwhowon'tfacePaniKsayswhat?"

"What?" Yugi said.

"There, glad that was settled, " Edwin said, stepping towards PaniK only for Yugi to once more move to block him. "Do we need to do Moto Season/Chaos Season? Because we can do that bit if you have some signs."

Renard though merely chuckled before walking past the two of them. "I think I have a solution. PaniK, you wish to face these two, do you not?"

"One, two… it doesn't matter. Both will quake before me," the massive duelist bragged but if one listened carefully they could tell that his boast was a bit… off. More subdued than it had been before Renard appeared.

"Well, why not two." Renard pulled out his own deck. "We make this… well, perhaps not a tag team per say but a match with two sides and two members on both." 

"…eh, isn't that the definition of tag team?" Joey said, scratching his head.

Bakura shook his head. "What Renard is getting at is that while Yugi and Edwin will be battling together they don't need to actually work together. They merely can't target each other."

Tristan raised an eyebrow at that. "The way those two are glaring at each other I'd say that it would be nearly impossible for them to work together as an effective team."

"They'll need to figure out a way if they want to beat PaniK," Tea said, shivering slightly and wrapping her arms around Mokuba; though if that was more for her own comfort or his own it was hard to say.

"It won't matter," Mai said sullenly, barely able to lift her head up even a fraction. "PaniK… you'll see. The battle is over before it even begins with him."

Edwin turned to look at Mai before snapping his gaze back to the Eliminators. "Yeah… need to show Mai how wrong she is with that kind of thinking. I don't know about Yugi but I'm in." 

"I am as well," Yugi said firmly. "And I will show you that one can be forceful and respectful at the same time. That the high road is the only way to go."

"You take the high road and I'll take the low road and I'll get to Scotland before ya!" Edwin sang as he made his way to the dueling platform. Renard stepped forward and touched the side of the machine, causing a panel to open that he could key some commands into.

"A minor modification…" he said as there was a rumble and two more dueling platforms, one on each side of the field, rose up to join the first ones. PaniK moved for his own only for Renard to stop him. "I think I'll take the first one… you can have the new one. I know you might prefer to use the one you are familiar with but… well… I do not. Nor does Mr. Pegasus." He leaned in and hissed, "Understand?"

"Yes," the huge duelist grunted in annoyance. He had rigged up this duel platform to aid him in his mental warfare against his opponents. Jets of fire, speakers that would whisper and distract, electrified panels that would shock someone when they laid a card… all to make them terrified to make a single move and that was before he began to lay down his deck, which he had crafted to maximize the terror a foe felt. It was just so enjoyable to watch duelist crumble and fall apart before they could even get a strategy going. Each Star Chip he had collected represented the frightened tears and terrified screams of a duelist who had thought themselves brave enough to stand against him only to be reduced to a trembling wreck by him and the darkness.

And now Renard had taken that away from him, forcing him to duel on a platform he hadn't wired up. The flame nozzles were still there, as were all the other tricks and traps he'd set up to truly scare little Yugi, but he had no way to access them. And Renard, without saying a word, had made it clear that he nor apparently Master Pegasus were interested in letting him argue his way into activating them.

'Assuming that foppish forgien fool would let me!' he thought bitterly as he pulled himself onto his duel platform, not even bothering to wait for it to lower down. 'But it won't matter… my deck will still reduce Yugi to a trembling mess of nerves and then I will slowly tear Edwin Chaos apart!' He touched his nose, wincing in pain. 'And he will pay for thinking he could stand up to me!'

~MC~MC~MC~

So to recap… I had PaniK gunning for me, an unknown factor in Renard, and the Pharaoh now saw me as someone worse than Seto 'I put Yugi's Grandpa in the hospital because there is no kill like overkill' Kaiba.

I wasn't in the greatest of moods.

"I have been meaning to ask," Renard called out as I shuffled my deck. "Are… you in your pajamas?" 

"Yes!" I exclaimed in frustration. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?!" I looked to the others. "Is it really that odd?"

"…just a touch?" Tristan said, Tea smiling weakly.

I groaned. "Just because all the rest of you freaks like sleeping in your clothes…" I rolled my wrist in PaniK's direction. "My apologizes… is 'freak' a word we normals can say or is that something only you and your kind can use?" PaniK glowered at me and I shrugged. "Well, we challenged you so you get to go first and Renard came last. So you get first draw there, Spooky."

PaniK drew his cards only to begin to laugh in a way that I was sure was supposed to be terrifying but really just came off like a high school principal trying to be intimidating at the band club's haunted house. "You were already defeated before you stepped onto the platform but now with the card I have drawn your defeat is even more assured. I play the Castle of Dark Illusions!" I raised an eyebrow as the castle appeared on the field… and found myself disappointed. I had been expecting that it would be like with the Blue Eyes White Dragon, with the Castle being more intimidating and frightening than it had been in the show. Yet when I looked at it all I saw was a crudely designed castle with some black fog billowing out of it.

"Oh no," Mai said and I turned to see her clutching at Tristan's leg. "Not that card…"

"Yes… you are familiar with this, aren't you?" PaniK taunted. "It was the card that began the end for you in our duel, wasn't it?" He looked to me and the Pharaoh. "And now it will seal your doom!"

"That doesn't sound good," Tea said fearfully.

"I'm too old to be scared of shadows, PaniK," the Pharaoh said firmly.

I, meanwhile, just stood there silently before blinking and shaking my head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I dozed off waiting for the scary thing to show up. Is it hiding behind the sandcastle?" I leaned around my platform.

"The Castle of Dark Illusions is something you should fear, little Yugi!" PaniK said, having decided to ignore my jests. "Because we are playing at night all monsters who use the power of darkness gain a field power bonus!" (920 → 1196/1930 → 2509) The fog began to grow thicker, though only on PaniK's side of the field. "And the Castle of Dark Illusions casts a dark spell that prevents any monsters other than mine from gaining power from the shadows! And the cloud it brews hides my monsters from you! You'll never know what ghastly beast will leap out of the shadows to devour you!"

"Well I defeated Pennywise and Yugi killed him so we are good there at least," I said, reaching to draw my hand only for the Pharaoh to quickly draw his, causing his dueling platform to activate while I was locked out. "No no, by all means, you go first Yugi. That is the honorable thing, right? Just leaping ahead and doing whatever you want?"

The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes as he looked over his hand. "I'm sorry Edwin but while you waste time with your cruel jokes I seek to defeat these Eliminators and regain Mai's Star Chips. Now then!" He held up a card dramatically. "I will place the Celtic Guardian in defense mode and end my turn."

"Ah, my turn then?" Renard said with a smile. He drew his opening cards and arched an eyebrow. "Hmmm… a fine crew I have assembled. I will start by summoning Seal, Strategist Fur Hire in attack mode and set this card on my field face down. Your move, Mr. Chaos."

While PaniK had been following the script from his canon duel with Yugi it was Renard's opening move that had my attention. I had been expecting… well, I don't know what exactly, considering his accent was all over the place and he was dressed up like Don Karnage, but I had figured it would be a standard vanilla monsters with average attack, maybe use an equip card to make it a bit better. But an effect monster with an average attack, even if he had only placed it on the field and not activated anything it could do? That was unexpected.

'Need to keep an eye on him. He is the head of the Eliminators, after all. That means he'll be more than a pushover.' I drew my hand and considered the cards before making a decision. 'Well, this worked against Ghost Kaiba. Let's see how it affects these two.' "First I'll start by summoning my Rogue of Endymion to the field!" My mystical red-cloaked assassin appeared on the field, a spell counter flashing on one of his daggers. "Now then, by discarding one monster-" I sent my Masked Sorcerer to the graveyard, "-I can convert the spell counter that he gains upon being summoned into any continuous spell card from my deck." I quickly began to thumb through my deck, finding the card I was interested. "And I will set Endymion's Lab onto the field!" The card flashed up behind my Rogue. "I can't activate it's effect this turn but now, well… I'll let you find out what happens next!"

"Yeah!" Joey called out. "Great move Ed! Now any spell card those guys activate will power up your lab and let you summon your Master Magician."

I pursed my lips together. "Yes Joey… that was the strategy I was trying to keep a secret."

"Oh… heh," Joey smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "My bad?"

Mokuba rolled his eyes, mimicking his brother rather well and in that moment I really wished Seto was there to give Joey a dope slap. "Well then, since I can't trust SOME PEOPLE from revealing my plans I'll just set this card on the field and end my turn. I'm sure it won't help me."

I knew I was laying it on thick. That was the point.

Because the very last thing I wanted was PaniK coming after my Rogue.

As for the monstrous (in terms of size, not quite fright) duelist he drew and smirked before looking right at the Pharaoh. "Now it is time for you to understand just how foolish it was to face me!" He summoned a monster, the Castle of Dark Illusions hiding it from view. "The darkness is my ally while for you it leaves you exposed and weak, trembling in terror at just what might hide in its depths, clawing its way closer and closer-" The yellow and blue claws of PaniK's monster shot out of the darkness and grabbed the Pharaoh's monster.

"My Celtic Guardian!" the Pharaoh cried out as his monster grunted and struggled before being drawn into the fog. There was the sound of a monster shattering and Yugi grit his teeth in frustration. "You may have destroyed my monster, PaniK, but it will take more than that to get me stop! I summon my Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress in defense mode!" The blue rather generic-looking dragon appeared and let out a roar before settling in defense mode.

"Lay as many monsters as you want, it matters not to me. My creatures of the night will destroy them all!"

"You will need to wait your turn," Renard stated, drawing his next card. "For it is my turn to attack and I will bring my strength to bear on your Rogue, Mr. Chaos!" Seal unrolled a scroll, examining it carefully only for a knife to suddenly fly through it and strike my Rogue of Endymion right in the chest, shattering him. Or at least it was supposed to be a knife but thanks to 4kids it was instead a shaft of white light that was vaguely knife-shaped but not quite because we can't have kiddies seeing furries kill magical assassins. (Edwin 1900)

I let out a huff at that, as I could just feel the Pharaoh's eyes on me, ready to make some comment about how I'd brought this on myself because how dare I actually attack someone who thought it was okay to manhandle women and shoot fire at people.

"Perhaps now you see why it is important to focus on the actual battle rather than come up with new jokes to make yourself seem bigger than you are."

"Right on cue," I muttered before plastering a sad smile on my face. "You're right Yugi… I see the error of my ways. I should treat PaniK here with kindness and respect. He only manhandled Mai and tried to use flamethrowers on her… it's not like he ripped up a card he fairly won from her. If he had done that then I would be justified to use dark magic to attack his mind." I shot him a glare, my smile leaving my face. "People Edwin Chaos has banished from reality? Zero. People Yugi Muto "sent to the shadow realm"? At least one but let's check with your friends. Hey guys! You see Yugi here use the Millennium Puzzle to make people disappear?"

The Pharaoh glowered at me. "You can try to-"

"Bored now," I said flippantly, turning away from him and drawing my next card.

"This is a rather interesting duel," Renard said with a smile.

"Yeah, don't suppose PaniK would be up for a trade? You and me vs. him and Yugi? I mean they both like to act like they are superior to everyone else." Renard raised an eyebrow at that and chuckled; I got the sense he was actually considering it.

"That is enough Edwin-" the Pharaoh began.

"What part of 'bored now' didn't you understand?" I snapped.

"Hey guys, come on!" Tea called out. "I don't know what is wrong with you two but you can't be fighting like this! You are supposed to be working together!"

"Tea is right, Edwin," the Pharaoh said, holding himself tall and proud. "This petty squabbling will get us no where. We must focus on the duel and that means you must work with me!" 

"So it isn't a team thing. It's me being your lackey?" He opened his mouth but I added, "So tell me… at what point do you decide to Mind Crush me?"

"W-what?" the Pharaoh said, his anger shattering into startled shock at that.

"The Mind Crush. You know, where you thrust out your hand and banish people from the face of the Earth? Like you did with that Fake Kaiba, the child abductor? How many times do I get to defy the mighty Yugi Moto before you decide I don't deserve to exist?" He stared at me with wide eyes but I was frankly so tired both from his attitude and the fact that I just had wanted to get some damn sleep that I decided to twist the knife. "I think your friends deserve to know too just how much independence they are allowed before you tamper with their brains. Joey decides on a strategy you don't like so you decide to 'banish the evil from his heart' and make him listen to you? Don't like a girl Tristan is dating because he doesn't see you guys as much so you poof her away? Tea decides to go to school in another country so you get rid of those evil thoughts so she'll stay at your side?"

"I… I would never do that," the Pharaoh said, horrified by my accusation.

"H-hey," Joey exclaimed, "Yugi… he'd never… he'd never do that!"

"Yeah!" Tristan called out but it wasn't as firm and confident as he might have liked and everyone knew it. "Yugi… Yugi isn't some villain!"

"Edwin, you can't really think that!" Tea exclaimed.

I didn't look to them. I just kept staring at Yugi. It was time to drive the blade home.

"You are no different than Pegasus," I said coldly before turning back to the duel. "Alright, I summon Crusader of Endymion in attack mode and then use Pot of Greed, which gets me two cards and also adds a Spell Counter to my lab." I drew my cards and nodded. "Next I will attack your Seal! Crusader, Spell Shield Smash!" The armored mage guardian rushed forward, slamming his shield into the furry and shattering it. (Renard- 1700)

"I activate my trap card!" Renard said, thrusting out his hand. "Training Fur Hire, Fur All Your Training Needs! This card allows me to summon one Fur Hire monster from my deck with a lower level than the monster that destroyed my previous Fur Hire and summon it to the field." Renard took out his deck and selected a card rather quickly. "I summon Beat, Bladesman Fur Hire!"

The rabbit had barely appeared before I laid down Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying the continuous trap so it wouldn't continue to give me problems. But already the horror of what I was seeing was dawning on me.

'He doesn't just have one card… he has the entire theme! Fur Hires!' I knew that in the real world Fur Hires were a casual deck at best, a fun thing that people built but had no hope of seeing competitive play. And even against other casual decks it could be iffy. But in this world? Especially Duelist Kingdom? Where the future King of Games used MUSHROOM MAN? 'He has a modern deck build. He has a MODERN DECK BUILD with archtype support!'

I mentally handled it rather calmly.

'**FUC**-'

~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi frowned as he looked over his cards, the other self that he had only come to realize existed within him going over their possibilities. 'Renard seems to have a deck that is centered around those humanoid animals and getting them onto the field quickly. We could get overwhelmed really quickly if we don't keep an eye on him.'

The Spirit nodded slightly, having taken control of Yugi's body for the duel. 'Yes but PaniK can't be ignored. He needs to be our focus for now.'

'But what about Renard?'

'Edwin will serve as a distraction. He will draw Renard's attacks, allowing us to deal with PaniK. We will learn from that.'

Yugi frowned even if his body didn't twitch its lips in the slightly. 'We can't use Edwin as bait. That isn't right. He's our partner.'

'Edwin Chaos isn't our partner,' the Spirit stated as PaniK summoned some other monster that he called the Dark Chimera into the inky darkness that the Castle of Dark Illusions created. He was taunting him, claiming that Yugi was like a child cowering under the covers, but neither soul that dwelled in Yugi's body was truly paying attention. 'He forced his way into a duel that was never his and his reckless actions will only lead to his downfall… and us with him if we attempt to save him.'

'He's been nothing but helpful to us,' Yugi pointed out. 'I mean, yeah, he was harsh with me concerning Joey but I didn't sense that coming from a place of hatred. It kind of reminded me of how Grandpa can get when he thinks I'm doing something wrong…'

'Edwin can't be trusted, Yugi.'

'But why?' the teen pressed. 'What happened that made you suddenly decide that we can't rely upon him?'

The Spirit drew his next card. 'Many things,' he lied. He didn't want to stare the boy with the knowledge that Edwin Chaos had been claimed by… something… that called the Spirit of the Millenium Ring 'brother'. Something that claimed to not merely be a goddess but beyond good and evil. "You keep saying how I am hiding in terror of your monsters, PaniK! But it seems to me that you are the one that is cowering! Your monsters hide in the shadows, refusing to stand before all. Why is that? Could it be that you know they aren't that terrifying at all? That their strength only comes from hiding them? Let's find out! I shift my Winged Dragon into attack mode and command it to attack!"

"Then prepare to watch it fall!" PaniK laughed maliciously. "For your sad little dragon is no match for my monsters!"

"I'm not aiming for your monsters, PaniK! I attack-"

"The moon?" Edwin called out. Everyone turned to look at him and he grimaced in embarrassment. "Sorry… sorry… just…ignore me for once."

The Spirit narrowed his eyes, his annoyance at Edwin and his constant flippant jests only growing more and more every time the man opened his mouth. 'Do you see how he is? He takes nothing seriously. This is about helping Mai but all he does is make it about him.' "Winged Dragon, attack the darkness itself and reveal just what is lurking in the night!" The fireball rushed forward and exploded, lighting up PaniK's side of the field and revealing the monsters he had summoned. "And thus we see that the boogeymen that cower in the closet and under the bed are nothing to be frightened of. Much like your boasts, PaniK, when exposed they are revealed to be nothing to be concerned about!"

"Uh… I don't know about that!" Tea whimpered as the monsters on PaniK's side of the field disappeared once more into the shadows.

PaniK glowered at his cards being revealed but there was nothing he could do as Renard drew his next card. "Now now," the Head Eliminator scolded his partner, "you can not grow angry at him and his words when you do the same. You prove yourself on the field." He looked at the card he'd drawn and grinned. "Allow me to show all three of you how you do just that! I activate the Spell Card Fandora, The Flying Furtress!"

The card flashed and the Spirit took a step back, eyes wide in shock as the massive winged galleon appeared over the battlefield, so huge that extra hologram projectors had to be deployed from the platforms just to create the great vessel. It was beautiful even while being imposing, looking like the creation of an artist trying to capture a dream. Renard's Fur Hire monster held out his hand and the great ship lowered down ropes, allowing him to scale it and leap onto the deck of the ship.

"Next, I will summon Donpa, Marksman Fur Hire!" The monster card flashed and on the deck and new sky warrior appeared at the ready. "And because I summoned a Fur Hire Monster I can special summon this one from my hand: Sagitta, Maverick Fur Hire!" A third monster, this one a black raven woman, appeared next to Beat. "And because they are Nakama when a new member joins the crew my other Fur Hires activate their effects! First Beat allows me to add another Fur Hire monster from my deck to my hand. And my Donpa allows me to target one monster on the field and destroy it while my Sagitta is able to deal 500 points of damage to one opponent for each of her Nakama on the field. And I believe it to be wiser to eliminate one of you from this game right now… and I am sorry, Mr. Chaos, but it seems our battle must come to an end now." With that his Fur Hires fired and there was a tremendous explosion on Edwin's side of the field…

…only for the smoke to clear to reveal him smirking, a finger pressed against the side of his mouth in thought.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" he asked innocently. "Reveal my trap card, Hallowed Life Barrier. I had to discard one card but doing so allowed me to create a mystical field of energy around my lifepoints, protecting them."

"Well played," Renard said with a nod of respect. "Well played."

"You as well. That was very close."

'See?' Yugi argued. 'He is polite to Renard.'

'Renard is an Eliminator, Yugi. He should be cautious around him. Now is not the time to make friends with him.'

'But that doesn't-'

"I draw and summon Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode," Edwin declared. "I then activate the Spell Card One Day of Peace! This card causes all players in this game to draw one card and then prevents any of us from taking damage till the end of your turn, Renard. It's a Christmas Armistice, gentlemen. A time to take stock and set your field for the battle to come!" Edwin selected a card from his hand. "I will set this card facedown and end my turn."

PaniK sneered at that. "I do not need to wait a turn before destroying either of you! Tremble at the might of my monsters! Barox, destroy the Winged Dragon! Dark Chimera, you destroy that fool's lowly witch!" PaniK laughed as both of his foe's monsters were shattered but Edwin merely shook his head.

"You did hear me say that none of us took damage, right?" he said as he activated his Witch's effect and selected a monster from his deck and added it to his hand. "Because that really was just bluster for the sake of bluster. Seriously, is that a requirement for you Eliminators? Renard can back up his comments but the rest of you are just huffing and puffing but the brick house ain't falling down."

PaniK grit his teeth at that. "I will do more than huff and puff on my next turn when my denizens of the dark shatter the last of your sanity!"

"Denizens! Why that was a three-syllabe word. Good for you PaniK, I knew you'd be able to get past monosyllabic grunting eventually."

"Enough, Edwin!" the Spirit called out. "It is my turn and I do not need your ramblings!" He drew a card and couldn't help but smile as he looked over what he'd gained. "But I will admit this, Edwin… your One Day of Peace has served me well. That, along with my draw, just allowed me to assemble the combination that will take out PaniK once and for all!" He thrust a card. "Behold the first piece of your doom, PaniK!" He spun the card for everyone to see. "I have drawn Swords of Revealing Light!" He returned the card to his hand. "First though, I must summon the second piece of your downfall! Curse of Dragon!" The bone-like dragon appeared with a screech on the field. "I will set one more card-" he smirked and held up his hand, showcasing five fingers, "-and thus comes the beginning of the end for you!"

"I'm afraid I must… how you say… rain on your parade?" Renard asked, the Spirit shifting his focus to the other Eliminator. "You see, you have forgotten something very important… this is not merely a duel of you and PaniK or myself and Mr. Chaos. It is about partners… and I can not let you harm mine."

"Oh no!" the Spirit exclaimed, horror swelling within him as he realized that he had left himself wide open for an attack. He had been relying on PaniK trying to destroy his set card, his Spellbinding Circle, so that he could reduce the attack of one of his monsters and thus protect his Curse of Dragon, setting up for his attack that would destroy all of his foe's monsters. 'If he attacks I'll have to sacrifice my Spellbinding Circle against him, should he summon a monster strong enough to destroy my Dragon. If I don't it will be destroyed and I won't be able to take out his Castle of Dark Illusion's floatation ring!' He had spotted right away the perfect way to defeat PaniK, to turn the power of his hovering castle against him, but he needed his dragon to be able to fly up there!

"First I use Fandora's effect to sacrifice my draw phase so I can add a Fur Hire monster from my deck to my hand, which I will summon now! Come forth Helmer, Helmsman Fur Hire!" Another animal pirate appeared, this one at the wheel of Fandora, tipping their hat to the Spirit and Edwin. "And now I can special summon Wiz, Mage Fur Hire to the field!" The octopus mage appeared and Donpa brought down his gun to bare on the Spirit's dragon. "And with that I can now destroy your Curse of Dragon!"

"No!" the Spirit exclaimed; the Spellbinding Circle would be worthless against Donpa because it was an effect, not an attack. He could only stare in shock as his dragon was shattered and his lifepoints dropped to 1000. (Yugi-1000)

'What are we going to do now?' Yugi asked.

'I… I don't know!'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Man, this is bad," Joey muttered as Renard set a card on the field and ended his turn. "Like… real bad."

"Maybe but I know Yugi can still pull out the win!" Tea declared.

"No, he can't."

"Mai?" Tea said, concerned.

The older woman just shook her head. "Don't you see? PaniK isn't a duelist… he's a force of nature. And with Renard backing him up it's even worse. There is no way to win against them… we are all doomed. There is nothing Yugi can do."

"You know," Edwin shouted to her, causing the rest of the group to jump, "I think it's time you all stopped focusing on Yugi and waiting for him to save you and remember that I am here!"

Mai though couldn't even lift her head. "Edwin… I'm sorry I got you into this mess. I'm sorry that you have to face-"

"What? PaniK?" Edwin looked at the fearsome duelist… and cackled. "He's nothing Mai. His entire bit is mindgames and yeah he got you good. But the thing is…his tricks don't work on me. I see past them and as such he has no hope against me. I am the force of nature here, not him!" He pulled out his phone and began to scroll through it. "And I think it's time I broke through the terror and apathy he's infected you with and remind you that when it comes to dueling nothing is ever dark and done until the final lifepoint falls away."

"Ya!" Mokuba called out, pumping his fist. "You show'em, Edwin!"

Tristan nodded. "He's right! Yugi's been in worst scrapes before and he'd fought back! He can do it again!"

"Show that freak whose boss!" Joey called out.

"You can do it!" Tea exclaimed.

Mai though shut her eyes and sighed. They just didn't-

An energetic guitar riff filled the air and Mai's head snapped up to see that Edwin had plugged his phone into the dueling platform and was blasting music through it, piercing through the gloom of the night with the strong beat.

"What… what are you doing?" PaniK demanded only for Edwin to whip around towards his audeicne… and begin to sing as he drew his card.

"_You sit there in your heartache, waiting on some beautiful boy to…to save your from your old ways. You play forgiveness, watch it now, here he comes!"_ Edwin spun on his heels, dancing to the music as he thrust one hand out, the other pressed to his heart. _"He doesn't look a thing like Jesus! But he talks like a gentleman, like you imagined when you were young!"_

He wasn't some grand vocal prodigy but the confidence he showed as he belted out the tune more than covered for that, causing Mai to stare in wonder as Edwin moved about the platform, looking so utterly ridiculous in his robe and pajamas, his cards in his hands as he sang to the world without a care. He was facing off against PaniK and his battalion of sinister monsters, and had another Eliminator that seemed even stronger than him also gunning for him and Yugi was doing little to help… and yet he was singing.

He was singing in the face of the manifestation of terror and fear.

The duelist that had left her feeling naked and completely exposed, who had left her a trembling wreck and shattered every inch of her self confidence… was raging impotently as Edwin mocked him and everything he was trying to achieve.

Edwin held up a card and grinned. _"And sometimes you close your eyes and see the place where you used to live…. when you… were young."_ He spun and slammed the card down and in a burst of light Edwin's ace, Endymion, appeared on the field and sent out a great burst of energy that rippled across the field, causing Fandora to shutter while PaniK's monsters bellowed, startled as the darkness once more was blasted away. Mai watched on and slowly began to stand oh her own, pulling away from Joey as Edwin held up another card, Tremendous Fire, and sent it to the graveyard and suddenly Endymion's staff began to glow with mystical fire.

"_You sit there in your heartache,"_ Edwin belted out again, turning towards Mai and pointing right at her. _"Waiting on some beautiful boy to... to save you from your old ways! You play forgiveness, watch it now, here he comes!"_ Endymion pointed his staff at the Castle of Dark Illusions and Edwin thrust his arms out wide, PaniK bellowing in outrage, as Endymion used his effect to shatter the Castle of Dark Illusion and send it crashing to the ground, the entire structure exploding in time with the music. _"He doesn't look a thing like Jesus but he talks like a gentleman like you imagined when you were young!" _(PaniK-1402)

Mai couldn't help it. She felt it bubble up from her throat and in the next instant she was cheering, pumping her fist in the air, a grin splitting her face. "That's it Edwin! You take them down!"

Tea was only a second behind her as she looked at PaniK's exposed monsters, revealed to all with the loss of the Castle's shadow wall. "Yeah! Those things aren't scary at all and neither is this guy!"

"You show'em, Ed!" Joey cheered.

Mokuba and Tristan merely cried out in enthusiasm while Bakura clapped.

He bowed even as the music ended and turned towards Renard. "And now to deal with you, Renard! Endymion, attack and destroy Donpa!"

"I activate the card Shrink, reducing your Endymion's attack by half!" the Head Eliminator declared. Edwin's mage was reduced to half his size but still he raced forward and attacked the Marksman, shattering him and causing Renard's Fur Hires to snarl at the defeat of their crewmember. (Renard-850)

Mai still though was hoping up and down, thrusting her fist in the air even with the reduction of Endymion. Because she knew now… he was going to win. He was going to defeat those two. She knew it in her heart. "That's it, Edwin! You show those two who is boss! You take them down!"

"Want me to leave you some to deal with yourself, Mai?" Edwin teased.

She thought about that before grinning. "Yeah. I'd like that."

She was done being scared.

Mai wanted another shot at PaniK.

~MC~MC~MC~

There was one person who wasn't happy with Edwin and his actions. "Edwin, I understand what you were trying to do," the Spirit stated, "but that was hasty move. I was building towards defeating PaniK once and for all, in one grand shot and now because of your haste-"

"Your plan died the moment you lost Curse of Dragon," Edwin said and the Spirit's eyes widened as he saw the intensity of the older man's gaze. In that moment he knew… Edwin had figured out exactly what his strategy was. He didn't know how, as he'd only revealed two of his cards that made up his 5-Turn Trap, and yet somehow… Edwin knew. "Now is not the time to debate about who was right or wrong. We started this duel to get back Mai's Star Chips and we are going to do it! Afterwards we can debate as much as you want-no, wait, we'll do that in the morning because I am very tired-but right now get your head out of your alps and help me take these two down!"

'As much as I hate to admit it… he's right,' the Spirit thought as PaniK looked over his hand. 'Right now Edwin is the lesser of two evils. We need to take out the Eliminators.'

'Especially PaniK,' Yugi mentally added as the dark Eliminator cackled and summoned his Reaper of the Cards and declared that he would finish what Edwin had started and end Yugi's duel by eliminating the Swords of Revealing Light.

The Spirit smirked. "Guess again, PaniK." He flipped his trap. "You activated my trap instead: The Spellbinding Circle!" The magical rings appeared and raced towards the Reaper. "This trap will not only reduce the attack of your monster but also decrease its attack by 700 points!" 

"Yeah Yug!" Joey exclaimed.

"Good show!" Bakura added.

Renard though held up a card. "I am afraid you have been a bit too quick in your declaration." He placed the card in his graveyard. "By discarding one Fur Hire monster my Wiz can negate your trap card, protecting the Reaper."

PaniK shot a glare at the other Eliminator. "I can handle this on my own!" he snarled. "I don't need your help!"

"Believe me, I do not wish to help you. I only did that because I prefer to keep things as they are and not 2 against 1. If I had my choice I would accept Mr. Chaos' offer and battle with him."

"You think you are better than me?"

"Think? No no. I know."

"And I know that you are a pompous little brat that knows nothing about how to deal with his foes!"

Edwin meanwhile glanced at the Spirit. "So we don't sound like that, do we?"

"Not at all," the Spirit said firmly.

"Good."

The Spirit nodded in agreement with that before he pulled out another card from his hand. "Well then, I will summon Gaia, the Fierce Knight in attack mode! And now that I see the power of your Wiz she will be the one that I target for destruction!" He thrust his hand out and called out to his knight, "Gaia, Spiral Spear Strike!" The warrior on the purple horse raced forward, dipping his lance as his horse leapt into the air, landing on the deck of Fandora and shattering Wiz before she could respond. Once more the Fur Hires bellowed their outrage. 'That was good but it wasn't enough. And I don't like how Renard doesn't seem that concerned.' He looked at the Eliminator who was watching the battle with a casual air. 'He is planning something… and I think Edwin knows it.' He looked to the older man who was staring intently at Fandora.

'We need to be ready for a counter,' Yugi thought, looking over his hand. 'But none of these cards will work… not with what we have available.'

'But,' the Spirit realized, 'we aren't just working with what we have!' He sent Yugi an image of his idea and the young man quickly agreed, the two of them setting a trap on the field along with the facedown Swords of Revealing Light and ending their turn.

"Mr. Chaos," Renard said with a smile as he used Fandora's effect to grab another Fur Hir, "I want to thank you for this duel. I see now why Pegasus is so interested in you. You… are not like the others. I think, in any other time, we could have stood as brothers against all our foes. It is only cruel fate that brought us against each other. As such I grant you a warrior's defeat and I will make it swift. No grand standing. No mockery." He held up the card. "First I summon Bravo, the Fighter Fur Hire, and that will allow me to special summon Dyna, Hero Fur Hire. And with five Fur Hire monsters on the field I can activate the final effect of Fandora: The Final Assault!" Renard's monsters leapt from the ship which turned to face Endymion. "I can now ram my Fandora into your monster, destroying it and eliminating you from this duel." He closed his eyes and smiled. "You fought well. Feel pride."

And with that the ship raced towards Edwin.

"No!" Mokuba cried out.

"This is bad! This is real bad!" Tristan declared.

Edwin… smiled.

"I was hoping you'd do that."

Renard's eyes snapped open.

"Reveal my trap card: Mystical Refpanel!"

On the field Fandora suddenly hit a glowing mirror that had teleported in front of it, Endymion grabbing it and copying his duelist's smirk as the ship was absorbed into the mirror.

"This trap allows me to redirect a spell effect at any other player on the field. And I choose you, PaniK!" Edwin pointed at the dark duelist and Endymion turned the mirror towards him. "The night is dark and full of terrors… but it is only a passing thing, this shadow. A new day will come! And the sun will shine all the clearer!" He thrust his arms out wide. "Let me make our own sun to help it out!"

"NO!" PaniK screamed, shielding his eyes against the glare as Fandora rushed towards him, the ship catching fire as it began its final run. "Run! Run my monsters!"

"I think not!" the Spirit declared. "I activate in response Swords of Revealing Light, locking in both Renard's Fur Hires and your own fiends! There is no where for them to escape!" He looked to Edwin who gave him a firm thankful nod.

"The light… I can't stand the light!" PaniK whined.

"That is how it is with all bullies: expose their boasts and their threats for the hollow things they are and all you are left with is a cowardly man," the Spirit said at the same time Edwin growled, "Oh grow up." The Spirit of the Puzzled looked at him and he grimaced.

"I was talking to PaniK, not you," he muttered as Fandora exploded, destroying all of PaniK's monsters. "Like what you said…"(PaniK-0000)

"Look at them go!" Tristan cheered. "Yugi and Edwin just wiped that snake PaniK right out of the game!"

"Go Yugi! Go Edwin!" Tea cried out, Mai and Mokuba merely just crying out Edwin's name.

"And we're not done yet!" the Spirit declared, thrusting out his hand. "I reveal my other set card: Graverobber!" The card flashed and a grinning cartoon thief appeared, holding a card. "This card allows me to select one card in any graveyard but mine and use it as my own. And I select Edwin's Tremendous Fire!" Graverobber flipped the card over, revealing the burn damage card. "Edwin…" The older man shot him a startled look and the Spirit flashed him a smile. "I'm not going to target you."

Edwin glared at him before letting out a huffing chuckle even as Renard's lifepoints dropped to zero. "Suppose I deserve that." (Renard-0000)

"No… no this can be happening!" PaniK roared, clutching at his head. "I am PaniK! I am terror incarnate! You can't defeat me!"

"Every nightmare must end, every shadow fade away," the Spirit stated calmly.

Edwin scoffed. "In other words pull up your big boy pants and act like a man." His platform began to lower but he paused when he saw Renard leaving his side of the field and heading over to him. "That was a great duel. Honestly, if it weren't for Yugi taking out Wiz you would have been able to defeat me."

"There are many what-ifs that one can ask in every duel," Renard said with a grin. "Know that while PaniK might not be able to accept what happened I can. And I think you for the wonderful duel." He held out his hand and Edwin accepted it without hesitation.

"Same, man, same."

"No… NO!" PaniK roared, leaping from his own platform to Renard's in a single bound. "You… you think you can beat me? Defeat me? Oh… you can celebrate your victory… celebrate it in the Shadow Realm!"

"The what are you-FUDGE!" Edwin screamed.

The Spirit could only watch in horror as nozzles that had been hidden on Edwin's platform hissed then unleashed massive guts of flames right where Edwin and Renard were standing. He could hear Yugi's friends screaming in shock and terror but all he could do was gaze at where the two had been standing, the area now consumed in an inferno. Joey had leapt forward to try and pull Edwin out but Tristan held him back while Tea clutched Mokuba to her, shielding him from the sight even as she cried out. Mai took a step forward, hand held out before she fell to her knees and screamed.

"And now for you!" PaniK bellowed, hitting another button and causing the nozzles on the Spirit's platform to suddenly shoot out flames. But the Puzzle flashed and with a burst of mystical energy the flames were driven back, not touching him at all as he felt his inner eye open and the power of his Millennium Item flood his veins.

"Edwin was right about you," the Spirit said coldly. "I thought I could teach you a lesson with words and skill but it seems that creatures like you only understand one thing!"

"How… how are you doing this!?" PaniK cried out, watching at the flames began to swirl around the entire field. "I… I am PaniK! I am terror incarnate!"

"You are a little man in a large body who hurts others all in the name of feeding your self-worth," the Spirit fired back. "You wish to see terror… HERE IS TERROR! MIND CRUSH!" He thrust out his hand and PaniK couldn't even scream as the light around him shifted so he appeared to be a film negative before his entire body shattered, sucked away into the abyss that was the Shadow Realm. The moment he left the fire dissipated and the Spirit grasped his platform, panting. "Edwin…"

"Help!"

'Renard!' Yugi thought and the Spirit turned to see that on the other side of the dueling field Renard was kneeling down, using his coat to try and beat back some small flames that licked up. Beside him, struggling to remove his burning bathrobe, his face red and smoky, was-

"EDWIN!" Tea cried out, physically lifting up Mokuba without a thought and rushing over to the 20 something. His glasses had been knocked off and he was clutching his left arm, his duel bracelet having been removed, but otherwise he seemed to be alright. The Spirit leapt down from the platform and joined Yugi's friends in rushing over to Renard who was checking Edwin over for injuries.

"When the fire started he tried to shove me out of the way and his bathrobe got caught in the blast. I pulled him out though just in time."

"Close shave though," Edwin grunted. The left sleeve of his pajama top had been rolled up to reveal the crimson skin on his arm. "Not a direct burn but the heat still got to me." He groaned and rolled his head back. "Dang it, I smell like my grandma's house."

"Yeah, but better that than being fried to a crisp!" Joey declared, kneeling down and getting Edwin to wrap his right arm over his neck, helping the man to his feet. "Just lean on me, okay pal? We'll get ya back to camp and fixed right up. Food and some rest… just what Doctor Joey ordered!"

"Do you have any bandages or anything?" Tristan asked. "I took a Sports Medicine class last semester so I should be able to get you wrapped up."

"Thanks guys," Edwin said with a weary moan. The Spirit could see that the weight of his ordeal and how close he had come to dying had finally crashed upon him. No jokes, no snarky, remarks, just raw emotion. "Renard… thank you."

"You are more than welcome. You saved me too, do not forget that." He patted Edwin on the shoulder before turning to Mai. "Seeing as my fellow Eliminator has disgraced himself and fled it falls to me to do this… and I do so with pride." He held out his left hand and removed 9 Star Chips from his custom dueling bracelet. "Mai Valentine, Yugi Moto and Edwin Chaos won these for you. And seeing how PaniK dueled I feel you should have never lost them in the first place… but I am happy to return these to you."

Mai accepted the Star Chips with a relieved smile, admiring each one as she slipped them into her bracelet before she looked to the Spirit, Yugi whispering in his mind that he should remain out for a bit more. "Yugi, you and Edwin showed me a lot during that duel. I saw how PaniK acted and how you handled him… and at times I was reminded of myself and not in a good way. I won't forget what you did for me." She held out her hand to Yugi. "When we face each other in the finals I am going to give you an honorable duel."

"I look forward to that," The Spirit said with a smile, pleased that he had shown her a better way.

"Just don't think I'll go easy on you," she teased as she shook his hand. "I'm no goodie goodie. I still have a reputation to maintain." She turned to Edwin. "Edwin-" 

"You're welcome Mai," he said, his voice tired. "It was my honor." He smiled, head lulling down a bit as he breathed in and out slowly.

"I know. But I am still thankful."

And then, to the shock of everyone, she walked over, tilted his chin up with her fingers, and planted a tender kiss on his lips.

"You are a gentlemen, like I imagined," she said when she broke away. "When I was young."

With that she turned, leaving Edwin staring after her, the tiredness gone as he looked on with wide startled eyes.

~MC~MC~MC~

I stared at Mai's retreating form, her words ringing in my ears and the sensation of her lips against mine still haunting me.

…I handled the fact that I had just cause canon to shatter once more maturely, I believe.

'…_**FUC-'**_


	9. Duelist Kingdom Part 7-Hero of the Story

Pegasus did his best to remain calm as he entered his dining room, running his hands along the front of his suit. Despite looking absolutely flawless, with every strand of hair in place and his clothes pressed and clean one only had to look at his face and see the way he walked to know that he was not at his best. Had anyone else been around he wouldn't have been so open with how tired he was but since it was just Croquet he didn't feel the need to hide the yawns that were bubbling forth. It was 3am in the morning and he'd only been asleep for a few hours when he'd been awoken by a member of his staff, informed that there was an urgent phone call.

So he'd arisen and allowed his valet to dress him and ensure that he appeared utterly dignified because he refused to take the late night call in his pajamas with his hair a fright and grit in his eyes. Appearances had to be maintained. Another servant had brought him some tea, enough to help him wake up but not so strong that he'd be unable to fall asleep the moment this was all handled. His hair had been brushed but not washed and felt greasy against his fingers and his grooming regiment had been ignored, leaving him with a fine white stubble on his cheeks that made him look far older than his years.

And he was tired. So very tired. It had been a long day and he had been looking forward to some shut eye. Now his entire sleep pattern would be thrown off and that left him rather annoyed.

'Not that I'll let them know that,' he thought to himself as he settled in his chair and a servant brought over a glass of wine. It was cheap swill, very young that he'd gotten for pennies, and he had no plan to drink a drop of it. No, it was a prop, nothing more. His callers held image above everything else and Pegasus knew that if he appeared at all in any shape other than perfect they would begin to scheme to remove him. After all image was the reason why they'd contacted him in the first place. Suddenly show a sign of weakness and they'd be plotting how to cut him loose. Not that they weren't playing to do that already but he knew of those plans and was already countering them. The last thing he needed was to tie up more resources dealing with new schemes.

So he sat in his chair, held up his wine glass, and let out one final massive yawn before he nodded to Croquet who turned on the video monitor.

"Gentlemen," Pegasus said as the shadowed forms of the Big 5 appeared on the screen. It was so utterly ridiculous that they did that, hiding all but their general outlines in low-light. It was supposed to make them be more intimating, the shadowy puppet-masters, but for one who knew true power it came off as a pathetic ruse. "My pardons for the delay. I was going over my plans for tomorrow when you called and I'm afraid that not all the rooms in this castle are set up to receive calls. And my home is quite large… I hurried as quickly as I could, I hope you know that." He smiled slightly and swirled the cheap wine for a moment. "Whatever can I do for you?"

One of them shifted, he believed Lester but it was so hard to remember which was which when they were all so bland and interchangeable. No sense of style, no sense of individuality. He wouldn't even call them caricatures because that would insinuate that they possessed exaggerated traits when they did not. They were the painted background of the great work that was life; half formed blobs meant to represent people in a crowd that the artist saw no need to give detail to for who would ever be drawn to them?

'Honestly, if I didn't know that Kaiba-boy was so rigid and unwilling to play nicely with others I would have sought him out as my partner in this rather than them. At least I could have held a conversation with him.' He'd considered it… he thought about dangling Kaiba's dead parents in front of him and promising that after they returned Cecelia to the world of the living they would do the same for them. But in the end he'd decided that Kaiba's anti-social tendencies, combined with his inability to accept that there was more to life than circuits and microchips, meant that such an appeal would fail. Kaiba-Boy simply had a mind of gears and levels rather than one designed for magic and imagination. Thus leaving him with the Big 5.

"We have received some news that greatly disturbs us, Pegasus," Lester (or was it Crump? Or Neezbit?) stated. "Both in its mere existence and the fact that you have not kept us informed as well as you should." 

"We speak of the Kaiba brothers," another (and he was pretty sure that one was Johnson) said. "Seto Kaiba is still alive and according to our satellites he is nearing your island in his helicopter."

"Hmm. I actually thought he would come by boat," Pegasus said dryly.

"Seto Kaiba must be eliminated for our plan to succeed. Had you killed him-"

"We have been over this, gentlemen. Killing him was your job, not mine. I provided the men, yes, but you were to aim them in the right direction. If they failed that is on you, not me. I am willing to admit my flaws… I am a humble man. I am far too forgiving and I have been told I spend far too much time admiring myself in the mirror. I also went through a dreadful Metal phase when I was a teen." He chuckled at that before his mood grew serious. "But I do not accept the mistakes of others as my own. Do NOT attempt to place your failures at my feet again. I will clean up the mess you made by allowing Kaiba-Boy to escape but do not ever presume to judge me for your errors."

He could tell the men didn't like that. They were far too used to people bowing and scraping before them. They saw themselves as kings… perhaps not of castles and great tracts of land but of industry and business and wanted to be treated as such. But to Pegasus they were merely small men with smaller dreams, nothing more.

"And then there is the issue with Mokuba Kaiba," someone who might have been Gansley stated in irritation. "You were to keep a hold of him, Maxamillion, and you-"

"Pegasus."

"Excuse me."

He let his friendly demeanor drop just a bit. "You will address me as Pegasus. Not Maxamillion. You have not earned the right to be so informal with me. Be glad that I am allowing you the courtesy of not demanding 'Mister' or 'Sir'."

"Now see here-"

"No, gentlemen. You see here. I think you are under the misconception that you five are the dominate players in this arrangement of ours. You are mistaken." Pegasus set his wine glass down and leaned forward. "We aren't even equals. Yes, five is greater than one but not when the one is me. Should you decide to end our partnership now I have other ways to see my goals come to completion. There are other companies I might go to, for example. Oh, it will take me an extra 5 to 10 years perhaps but, hehem, I am a patient man. But if I should abandon you? Well... you've already burned your bridges with Seto Kaiba. He will not invite you back with open arms. More likely with open fingers that slowly close around your throats. And who else would you seek out? Zigfried von Schroeder is the only man who would come close to being able to match the funds needed to completely take over Kaibacorp. And he does hate Kaiba, after all. But he is not one to enter into alliances easily, I assure you. But please, if you do not like how I have handled things feel free to seek him out."

The Big 5 shifted and Pegasus smirked. 'You won't go to him because you already tried. The recent downturn in the German economy and an investment in a new rail division means that he won't have the liquid assets to make a play for Kaibacorp for another 7 months, earliest. And you don't have 7 months, you barely have 7 days at most. Besides, unlike myself he has made his opinion of war profiteering quite known; as much as he and Kaiba-boy loathe each other they do agree on that at least.'

As did Pegasus himself though he hadn't let the Big 5 know that. The five capitalists believed that Pegasus would lead them back to the good ol' days when they could develop weapons for any nation that was willing to pay the price both in terms of money and blood. But the moment Pegasus had all the secrets to Kaibacorp's Hard Light Hologram Technology he would reveal to the UN all the war crimes the Big 5 were guilty of. He already had his speech prepared, how he'd wipe away a tear as he spoke of the horrors the men had committed. Then he'd donate money to some charities, do a few talk shows, and continue on with his life while the five rotted in a cell.

Pegasus planned ahead. It was how he'd become the greatest Duelist in the world, after all! He hadn't gone into this hostile takeover blind, despite what the Big 5 believed. They thought they had sought him out, and he'd done well to feign shock when they'd approached him. None of them knew that the advisors and aides that had whispered in their ears that he was their best bet were on his payroll. Just like how he'd manipulated Siegfried to ensure he could not play a role in the scheme. It was easy enough to see what deals were coming up when one can read every mind in the world, after all.

"Mr. Pegasus," Johnson said at last, "you will forgive us for being blunt. We are merely concerned. The plan rotates on using Mokuba Kaiba as our pawn. A figurehead CEO. But you do not have him in your castle anymore... according to the news we've received he has escaped."

"He has left my castle, yes," Pegasus said with a shrug, a smile once more forming on his lips. "But he remains on my island. And let me assure you gentlemen... I know EVERYTHING that happens in my Duelist Kingdom." He reached out and took hold of a remote, clicking it on so that the picture of the Big 5 became a split screen with a map of Duelist Kingdom. He knew the capitalists could see the image as well. "There he is. Fast asleep I would wager, considering the time. Safely in the hands of Edwin Chaos."

"Edwin Chaos?" another of the Big 5 asked.

"Kipling Chaos' nephew. I remember you insisting I invite the press. Edwin is dueling in place of his uncle... he is actually doing quite well. He has 9 Star Chips though he is doing his best to hide that. Mokuba remains in his control so long as he remains in my tournament."

"Then why is he still in your tournament?" Crump (perhaps) asked testily. "Why haven't you eliminated him?"

"He seems to be the golden nugget in the stream. No one expected him to rise to the top but he is doing so. He defeated my Mimic of Doom and teamed with Yugi Moto to defeat Renard Volpe and PaniK. None of those are lightweights, I assure you."

"He is working with Yugi Moto?" another of the men asked, startled.

"That isn't good," the man to his right said. "Not good at all."

"He actually appears closer to Miss Mai Valentine than he does Yugi-boy and his friends. In fact I hear that he and Little Yugi feuded quite a bit before and then during their tag team duel"

"Still, he has made powerful allies-"

"And it matters little," Pegasus said with a wave of his hand, brushing aside their concerns like one would lint on fine linen trousers. "Eddie-boy has only bought Mokuba a momentary reprieve. He has a choice to make very soon. Should he gains 10 Star Chips and comes to my castle Mokuba is under my roof again; he does not and finds himself out of the tournament when the 5 finalists reach here, forcing him to run; or he abandons Mokuba. No matter what my agents are ready to take Mokuba off his hands." He leaned back and smiled. "Gentlemen, everything is completely under control on my end..."

He trailed off as a servant hurried into the room. He didn't bother to scold her; his help knew not to disturb him during such meetings unless the news was dire and thus the only conclusion was she was there to deliver such tidings. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. He raised an eyebrow at the quick tale she had to tell before nodding in thanks and silently bidding her to go. Croquet caught his eye and he gestured with his eyes towards the woman; Croquet, he knew, was making a mental note to reward her for her service.

"Gentlemen, you called me at this late hour to discuss how I am handling the situation. But perhaps you would do me a favor and turn your television to channel 12 and tell me something: how are you handling YOURS?"

The Big 5 all began to murmur to themselves before one of them finally did as he suggested and opened up a new screen with the channel in question. Pegasus was pleased that, thanks to the program they were using to call him, he got to see what they were watching; it was rather enjoyable to see what was making them tense up and go into a cold sweat as footage played showing the Domino City Police at Kaiba-Boy's mansion, talking with servants while a few of the Big 5's personal security agents (aka their hired goons) were lead into a police wagon handcuffed and stripped of their glasses, comm pieces, and other equipment. The scroller on the bottom of the screen blared out SETO KAIBA HELD HOSTAGE? KAIBACORP CEO MISSING-SIGNS OF FOUL PLAY FOUND IN BEDROOM-SERVANTS HELD CAPTIVE BY SECURITY FIRM LINKED TO KAIBACORP BOARD OF DIRECTORS-HOSTILE TAKEOVER GONE WRONG?

"Well gentlemen, I believe I will let you go... it seems you have other things to occupy your time." He smirked and fought the urge to give a cheeky little wave. "Tata." He turned off the television and let out a yawn. "Well, they shouldn't disturb me for the rest of the night."

"Mr. Pegasus, if I might be bold... does this not affect your plans as much as theirs?"

"Oh Croquet, you are a treasure in how you worry about me!" He shook his head and began to remove his suit jacket. "But no, not really. I have ensured that all links to me and the Big 5, while they exist, appear purely innocent. The few of their security agents, such as Kemo, that are on the island are loyal to me... I ensured that or at least my checkbook did. The documents have all been dated so that it will appear that things happened rather recently... if the police do decide to look into their actions they will draw the conclusion I want them too: the Big 5 decided to deal with the Kaiba brothers because they feared I was growing cold on the deal. At worst I'll be seen as someone who tried to perform a hostile takeover but other than that..." he gave a shrug and tossed the man his jacket as they moved down the hall to his bedroom, loosening his tie as they walked.

"But what about the Kaibacorp technology you need?"

"Delayed, sadly, but not out of reach. In fact this might end up happening much clearer than going through the Big 5... with Seto Kaiba and his brother missing and presumed dead and the Board of Directors tried for their disappearances the company will be sold off piece by piece. I'll be able to buy what I need at a much cheaper rate." He brushed his hair to the side and the Millennium Eye flashed. "And Kaiba-boy and his brother will NOT be returning from my island to sing any other songs about my involvement."

"And what of the others?"

"Yugi? I do wish the duel him, of course, but if the Big 5 are removed from play they there will be no need to be cruel to him. I will still destroy any hope he has of becoming the King of Games but I will make up some tale that will satisfy him and release his grandfather's soul. Perhaps I was under a spell or possessed." As they entered his bedroom Pegasus pressed a hand to his forehead and said dramatically. "What... what is this? I feel... something leaving me! A dark force... I think our battle satisfied it, Yugi. You freed me from its tendrils! Oh, thank you." He stopped and gave a laugh. "Yugi-boy is young and foolish... he will believe that easily enough."

"And what of Edwin Chaos?" Croquet asked.

Pegasus, who had begun to unbutton his shirt, paused at that. "He will be a...different matter. At best I will buy his silence... everyone has a price, after all. That failing I'm sure the right pressure can be applied."

"And if it can't?"

Once more the Millennium Eye flashed as he looked through the window out onto the dark night that blanketed his Duelist Kingdom. Somewhere under those twinkling stars and the pale moon was Edwin Chaos, the man that had lived up to his family name. He had been the unexpected element that threatened to change everything. The impurity in the metal, the flaw in the priceless gem, the Trap Card one didn't see coming. Something that might be amusing but only if Pegasus kept a firm hold on the situation.

"Then he will join the Kaiba Brothers in their stay on my island. Forever."

He would later, upon deep reflection, swear that in that moment he saw not the night sky before him... but the visage of a goddess glaring at him and his promise.

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi and Bakura looked over at Renard as he walked over to them, brushing his hands together before he squatted down next to the little fire that was still merrily burning. The rest of their party was asleep; Tea was with Mai in her tent while Edwin and Mokuba were in his. Joey and Tristan had complained that it was too cramp and warm to sleep so close together so they'd bunched up some clothing and laid out Tristan's jacket and promptly went to sleep just outside the tents, Joey mumbling about duel monsters and sandwiches within minutes.

As for the two young men that were bearers of the Millennium Items they had known that they wouldn't be able to fall asleep for a while, if at all. Bakura had stated quietly that he'd basically been asleep for a few days while the Spirit of the Ring had controlled his body and Yugi found that everything that had happened had left him too energized to sleep. He would get a few winks before dawn but otherwise he had a feeling he wouldn't have a proper rest until he had defeated Pegasus and won back his grandfather's soul.

"How is Edwin?" Yugi asked as Renard removed his gloves and raised his hands towards the fire, his long blue coat pooling beneath him.

"He will be fine," Renard said with a slight smile. "He is lucky he wore such a heavy bathrobe. Had he not the flames would have burned his skin greatly. As it is the skin will be tender to the touch but should he keep the bandages and gauze on it shouldn't be affected. There will certainly be no scarring."

"I can't believe Pegasus did not think of having medical staff on hand to help duelists who got injured," Bakura said with a shake of his head. "This is an island, after all... people could fall down hills or be hit by falling trees or any other manner of dangers!"

"I think Pegasus had other things in mind than safety," Yugi said honestly, a touch of darkness coloring his words that reminded him of the Spirit that lived in his puzzle.

"When I was first approached to take part in this tournament I knew that it would be different from all others. Normally there is structure that is understood, you know?" Renard waved his hand about in a dismissive action. "The Round Robin, the brackets, the randomizer, so on. This though... to have the contestants explore the island and determine their fate based not just on their cunning with a deck but the cunning of their minds? It interested me greatly, I admit."

"Why is that?" Bakura asked.

Renard let out a bemused sigh. "I am young yet I am also old. Certainly old for one that plays this game, it feels like. I have been playing not just Duel Monsters but all manner of games of strategy and skill since I was a child. And when you have done something for a long time the ease at which one becomes bored grows with each passing day." He gave a small shrug. "I sometimes wonder if that is how the likes of PaniK are able to become what they are. Feeling the tedium of it all and thus seeking out the new thrills and desires in order to feel... something." He grew silent for several moments. "When Pegasus approached me about this tournament I was intrigued. And, I'm ashamed to admit, my boredom seems to have blinded me until it was too late of the dangers it possessed... and of the man that runs things."

"Pegasus has a lot to answer for," Yugi said quietly.

"This we agree upon," Renard stated. "I know it is a poor prize but I will state here that I am sorry for my small part in the tragedies that have befallen you." He rose to his feet and tugged on his gloves. "And know that my role in all of this madness is over."

"Over? What do you mean?" Bakura asked. "Don't you have to stay for the rest of the tournament?"

"No, though I am sure that is what Pegasus will also believe." He flashed them a dashing and cocky smirk. "But there are certain sections in my contract that I imagine he did not see, for he would have demanded them removed if he had. His rush will cost him greatly. I will spend the morning touring the island, ensuring that no more of my fellow Eliminators believe they can act as PaniK did, then Pegasus and I will have a conversation. One he will not enjoy." He paused and then pointed to his left. "To the east of Pegasus' castle there is a bay. My personal boat is anchored there... should you fail in your quest and need to escape quickly come find me. I have shown Edwin on his map where I can be found, if needed." He gave a long deep sweeping bow. "And to you gentlemen both I bid finally a good night."

With that Renard was off, entering the forest and within seconds disappearing from sight. Bakura and Yugi watching him go before turning to each other, Bakura smiling slightly and shaking his head.

"He is a strange fellow, isn't he?"

"Strange but nice," Yugi stated. "Far nicer than most of the duelists we've met so far."

"What do you mean?" Bakura asked. "I know you and Joey have had several duels between the two of you... were they truly that bad, your opponents?"

"I hate to say it, because one is supposed to respect their opponents, but yes." Yugi looked at the fire and grew reflective. "The first person I took on was Weevil Underwood."

"The regional champion?" Bakura said. When Yugi nodded Bakura smiled. "I would have liked to see that duel! Your first opponent in the tournament was something that skilled?"

"I think much of Weevil's success has come not from his skill but his trickery. He tossed my Exodia cards off the boat while we were coming here and then lured us onto a field zone that benefited him. He was a sneak plain and simple."

"Hmm," Bakura said. "Who else?"

"Well after that Joey took on Mai and that was a rough one for him."

"She wasn't nice to him?" Bakura asked. "I can see that... but she seems to be friendly with you all now."

"Edwin had something to do with that. According to Tea the two of them know each other."

"Do you think they are..." Bakura trailed off.

"I don't think so," Yugi stated with a shake of his head. 'Or at least I didn't until that kiss she gave him. Still, he seemed as startled by that as the rest of us!' Out loud he said, "But I do think they could be friends, which is a good thing. Mai needs friends. I get the feeling she's been alone for much of her life." Bakura muttered something and Yugi frowned. "What?"

"Oh, just something Edwin said... it suddenly makes a lot more sense." Yugi looked at him and he blushed a bit. "When we were heading back after your duel with PaniK and Renard I thanked him for letting me stick around. I said I knew I had caused him problems but I was truly grateful to be able to travel with you all. I... I am quite used to being by myself, Yugi." Now it was Bakura's turn to look down at the fire. "But Edwin told me that "No one is born in this world to be alone". He was talking to me but I think he was talking about Mai... and, if I may be so bold, himself."

'Is that it?' Yugi thought to himself. 'Is that why Edwin is the way he is? Did he grow up like me, without a lot of friends? But instead of trying to make new ones he felt the need to lash out at the world, to protect himself before it could hurt him?'

"Do you hear something?" Bakura said, cutting off Yugi's thoughts. The young man turned, looking out towards the ocean, and after a moment realized that yes, he did hear something. It was faint but growing stronger. The sound of an engine...

Then he saw the lights coming in low over the surface of the still ocean, kicking up waves, and he leapt to his feet as he realized that it was a helicopter. One that, as it got closer, he realized had the Kaibacorp logo on it!

"What the devil?" Bakura said but Yugi was already running to the tents as Joey let out a moan.

"Eh, what's all that racket? Huh?" Joey opened his eyes only to hiss and shield his face with his arm as the helicopter, which had bridged the distance between them very quickly and was now hovering over their camp site, shone a spotlight on them. "Hey!" Joey exclaimed in annoyance. "Cut that out! Ya don't see me shinin' flash lights in your eyes when your tryin' ta get a bit of sleep!"

"Oh, what now?" Mai complained as she made her way out of the tent, Tea a few seconds behind her knuckling sleep from her eyes. Edwin was the next one to come out, growling and grumping at being awaken, but Mokuba grinned with utter delight as the helicopter finally landed and killed its lights, the rotor still spinning as the pilot stepped out.

"SETO!" Mokuba exclaimed, rushing across their camp and wrapping his arms tight around his brother. Seto looked down and Yugi let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding in when Seto gently reached down and placed his free hand on his little brother's head, a small genuine smile crossing his lips. There was nothing taunting or mocking about that smile... just one of relief in seeing his brother safe and sound. "I knew you'd be here! I told them you'd find us! Didn't I Edwin?"

"You sure did," Edwin said, stepping forward.

"Seto, this is Edwin. He saved me from some creep that was pretending to be you!"

"I saw," Seto said, finally looking up, the smile he had been wearing disappearing like a mirage.

Yugi was suddenly struck by a vision. Where Seto and Edwin had stood now there was a lean dark-maned lion, slinking and sliding but ready to leap into furious brutality at a moment's notice, and a sleek wolf more the size of a bear than a dog, eyes narrowed as it prowled about. And in the middle was a little lion cub, not realizing that the two weren't ready to hunt together but rather were sizing each other up to determine if one or the other was a threat.

'This is going to be interesting,' Yugi thought quietly to himself.

~MC~MC~MC~

People always made the joke that Seto Kaiba had a dragon fetish. It wasn't hard to see why, watching the anime. The Blue Eyes jet, the bingo machine, the theme park...

Yet seeing the young man in person I realized it was less of a dragon fetish and more that he'd been born the wrong species. He had all the bearing of a dragon that had been trapped in the form of a man and thus was trying to find a way to deal with that error in reality.

I'd grown used to being around short people during my time in Duelist Kingdom. Rex, Bakura, certainly Yugi; but even the tall people were short compared to me. Mai was a leggy blonde yet I in my boots I had 6 inches on her. Same with Joey and Tristan as well. PaniK had been the only one to loom over me but he suffered from Alexander Anderson Syndrome so honestly I didn't count him. Sure, it was Japan, but even the Americans were small when it came to my stature.

But there was Seto, as tall as me (though he did gain 2 inches thanks to his hair which was fair poofier than mine), holding himself with the confident grace he was known for. His face was cold and impassive and his eyes as hard as diamonds. He was thinner than I was, with a gaunt frame that made me think of a slithering wyrm. Even his coat hung from his shoulders like a pair of great wings, ready to snap open and launch him into flight.

'I wonder what others see when they look at me?' I thought, my own arrogance of needing everything to come back to me rearing its head. I didn't know what creature might represent me... I was a proud Capricorn when it came to the zodiac but there wasn't anything very goat-like in my features (especially with me lacking my beard though the stubble was growing out, thankfully). My arms had lean muscle (and I made a mental note to get back to working out once this was done) while my legs, thanks to years of speed walking, were thick and toned. Round face, standard chest...

And then my mind went back to two very different groups of people and their wildly different opinions on me.

Both of my grandmothers had assumed when I was a child I would become a minister. That I had an angelic bearing and a quiet nature that lent itself to preaching the word of God. My bosses and co-workers though had a different opinion; to them, when my rage boiled over or my protective streak was activated, I was 'a demon come from hell' who could spew fire and venom. And I remember my first role in a play, back in high school, when I had been cast as the villain. The girls had all laughed at that, pretending to be intimidated during script readings… until the first true rehearsal, when I had delivered a threat so frightening one of them had cowered in fear, forgetting it was all pretend. They'd never laughed again.

Angelic or demonic. Wasn't that the ultimate summary of humanity?

These thoughts raced through my head as Mokuba happily recounted all we had done since I had saved him and from the amount of information he had to pass on I was rather startled to realize that it hadn't even been a full day since I'd saved him from Pennywise that Dancing Idgit.

'And he doesn't even know about Bakura,' I thought to myself as Mokuba finally took a breath, allowing Seto to cut in.

"So, other than Mokuba you are the only one that saw through that fake?" He glanced at Yugi and his friends. "Why am I not surprised that these dweebs didn't realize that wasn't me?"

"Hey!" Joey yelled, Tristan quickly grabbing him before he could do something. "He looked almost exactly like you! Anyone would have been fooled."

"Not Mokuba... or Edwin apparently," Seto stated.

"To be fair Mai and Bakura weren't even there, so we can't lump them in with the rest," I said with a slight smirk.

Seto merely scoffed. "The person who saw through that fake and protected my brother... is meeting me in his..." He looked me up and down and actually got befuddled, which was odd to see on Seto's face, "pajamas?"

"Why does everyone keep pointing that out?" I whined. "It's past midnight!"

Seto merely raised an eyebrow before getting back to the original topic. "How did you know it wasn't me?"

"Besides the fact that his voice was doing some stupid distorted thing because he was prepared to claim he was your ghost?" I asked. Seto merely looked at Mokuba, who nodded, then Yugi and his friends who had the decency to shuffle about in embarrassment. "Woman's intuition," I snarked.

"And why did you risk your place in the tournament to help my brother?" Seto took a step forward. "Looking for something?"

"I wouldn't say no if you felt like rewarding me but no, that wasn't what was going through my mind."

"And what was?" Seto asked.

"My brother," I said firmly. "He's in the states right now and yeah, he's only 3 years younger than me so it isn't like you and Mokuba but still..." I trailed off.

Mokuba though quickly spoke up. "Edwin said there is a rule among Big Brothers! He said that if a little brother is in trouble and their big brother isn't around any other big brother will step in and help!"

"Is that so?" Seto asked.

"For me at least," I said firmly.

Seto paused before nodding his head. "I don't forget those who I owe a debt to. Good or bad." Suddenly I had the urge to play 'The Rains of Castamere' on my phone. I understood that this was no offer of friendship. I was useful to him, someone to protect his brother, but the moment he didn't need me he'd try to get rid of me."I have debts to settle with Pegasus and the Big 5. But when that is done... you and I will square things up."

"You'll have an easier time if you are fully equipped." I tossed Mokuba a key I'd pulled from my pocket, having always kept it on me. "Get Seto's deck for him."

That surprised Seto but he hid it within seconds. "Just going to give my cards back to me?"

"You want to know why I don't rip up the Blue Eyes White Dragon like you did with Yugi's grandpa's?" I asked. Seto didn't flinch or show any shame in that and I fought the urge to sneer at him. 'Mokuba, think of Mokuba,' I repeated to myself while out loud I stated, "You challenged him and he accepted. You didn't force him to do anything. As such you won the card fair and square. As for your deck? I might have considered using it as a bargaining chip, get some more out of you... but I have a feeling you aren't a man one dangles a desire in front of unless you want to lose your hand."

"Wise," Seto said with his own smirk as Mokuba returned, handing the deck to me when I wiggled my fingers in his direction. "Far smarter than anyone else on this island."

"I do try." I held the deck out only to grab Seto's wrist with my free hand when he reached out, making sure he looked me right in the eye as I said in a far sterner tone, "But what you did? That was needlessly cruel." I released him and watched as he did his best to look cool and collected even as he checked to make sure all his cards were there. Once he confirmed that I hadn't tried anything he looked up, glaring at me.

"You said it yourself that it was my card to do with as I wished."

"Correct. But that doesn't mean I can't look down on you for doing it. You could have destroyed it in the privacy of your home, or locked it away in case one of your other Blue-Eyes was destroyed. Hell, you know what I would have done?" I waved my hand towards his brother. "I'd have given it to Mokuba."

THAT set Seto back a bit.

"Unless you think you couldn't even trust HIM with the Blue-Eyes."

And THAT made his eyes go wide before the glare came on full force. "Who are you to judge me?"

"I'm Edwin Motherbucking Chaos," I replied with utter confidence.

"...whatever," Seto said, clearly deciding that the best way to win our little war of words was to not play the game at all. That always annoyed me as it seemed to always be the answer some many had when they danced with me in a battle of verbal wits. "Come on, Mokuba, let's go."

"Hold up, Kaiba," Yugi called out, running forward. "I have business with Pegasus too. We'd be better off joining forced."

"Work with a dweeb like you?" Seto asked, amused. "Hard pass."

I guffed.

"You have something to say?" Seto asked me.

"It's Edwin," Tristan said dryly, "of course he has something to say!"

Joey snickered. "The day he isn't running his mouth is a one where you should take cover because the world is endin'!"

I pursed my lips before nodding in acceptance that they were right. 'And sadly we'll get to see if that is true several times,' I thought to myself. Out loud I stated, "I'm just surprised, is all." I began to pace, the educator that I had nearly become showing itself as I entered what I lovingly called my "I-Am-Monologuing!" mode. "You are someone that prides themselves on being preparing. You think ahead, you create plans, and you have not only backups but backups to the backups. Yes, the Big 5 and Pegasus caught you off guard but you already had strategies in place, didn't you?" Seto merely watched me; I didn't need an answer I had my memories of watching the episodes. "It's the same when you duel... when you aren't blinded by going in for the final blow and making it some grand statement I'd wager you always have a back-up ready. Which is why you are one of the greatest duelists in this generation."

"I am the greatest," Seto said sternly.

"Tell that ta Yug," Joey said.

"And," I said with a sly smile, "you haven't faced me yet." I shrugged and continued. "But the point is you like to plan. Yet here you are just rushing off without any strategy or thought on how you are going to defeat Pegasus other than Step 1: Find Pegasus, Step 2: To Be Determined, Step 3: Party." I waved my hand dismissively. "You are doing exactly what he expects. You are rushing right to where he wants you, where he has home field advantage, and you are going hope for the best. And don't tell me it's because you want to get the drop on him; Pegasus already knows you are on this island and has most likely realized you are talking to us." I let out a huffing laugh. "I knew you were rattled, Seto, but come on! Think!" I threw my arms out wide. "You have people out for Pegasus' blood too! At minimum you can use them as a distraction. You could, I don't know, have Tea stand outside Pegasus' castle doing jumping jacks and hope the guards focus on her."

"I'm for that one," Joey said with a snicker.

"Me too!" Tristan said.

"HEY!" Tea roared and I cringed along with Joey and Tristan as we became poorly drawn cartoons while a giant Tea with a huge head and pure white eyes waved her stick-like limbs at us, teeth triangles and hash marks on her face. "Why do I have to do the jumping jacks!?"

"Because Mai and I will be too busy dressing up like plumbers to sneak in?" I asked innocently.

Mai merely crossed her arms over her chest and smirked slightly. "So you like to play dress up, Edwin?"

'DANGER! DANGER WILL ROBINSON!" a robotic voice screamed in my head.

Thankfully Seto cut in before Mai could test just how much the 4Kids censors would allow. "Is this a joke to you?"

"Everything tends to be a joke with me. Until it isn't. And you rushing off without any information? That is the greatest example of a joke." I waved towards our camp. "Do the smart thing. Sit down and lets all share information." It took nearly a minute and I was sure at one point he was going to turn his back on us and walk away, but finally Kaiba walked into our campground and sat down on the stump where Yugi and the Spirit of the Ring had had their little duel.

"Fine," he said with an annoyed sigh, "but the moment this becomes worthless I'm leaving. And knowing this lot it won't take that long."

Yugi shrugged and he and his friends moved to sit down, Mokuba motioning for me to sit to his right, Seto to his left, and I did so with a smile that grew a bit forced when Mai decided to plunk herself down next to me despite their being far more room on the opposite side of our messy circle. Especially when she chose to sit close enough that she could rub her leg against mine.

'Well, you certainly did it now,' I chided myself. The dream of some many fans, to have Mai Valentine interested in them, and it had to happen to the one heterosexual male who wouldn't act on the impulse. Oh, I found her attractive; how could I not? She ticked nearly every box for me and the type I liked: tall with a healthy build, smart, funny, blond, determined... if she played better with others and wasn't into clubbing but rather preferred staying at home she would be the perfect woman for me. The problem was twofold: first, that I knew I was screwing with timelines and that made my guilt thunder in-between my ears. And second? 'You can manipulate this to work out however you want,' I thought with disgust and self-loathing. 'That is rape, no matter how you try and spin it. I am not going to take advantage of her thanks to using future knowledge to draw her into my bed. I am NOT that kind of man.' I had to make sure that I was careful to stay friendly with her without giving her a greater sense that there was a chance between us. Because while I couldn't stand the thought of taking advantage of her I didn't want to hurt her either. I just had to be careful.

"Mai, why don't you lead things? You know everyone here but the only one you really are allied with is me," I said, my mouth deciding to run before my brain could tell it to shut the fuck up.

But it was too late and Mai looked at me in surprise before allowing her face to settle into a determined gaze. "I will admit it right off the bat: I don't have any problems with Pegasus. Well, okay, kidnapping the kid is an issue but it isn't personal for me, just a crummy thing to do." She shrugged before jerking her thumb towards me. "But Edwin here said it… I might not be in for your revolution but I'm with him. Edwin fights, I fight."

'Oh I've fucked things up royally,' I thought before clearing my throat. "A bit different for me. I didn't have a problem just competing in this Tournament and reporting on it for Chaos News. But kidnapping Mokuba? That made this my fight."

"Why?" Seto asked bluntly.

"The Big Brother Rule," Mokuba said once again.

Seto looked ready to argue that point, to dismiss it, but seeing the bright eyes of his little brother he couldn't and I hid a smile as he finally looked at me. "So because Pegasus captured my brother-"

"I am going to burn this island on the ground and then salt the earth so nothing every grows again," I said darkly, knowing my glasses were flashing as I made that declaration. "I'll make it a monument for everyone in the world that you do not hurt people I care about. And if Pegasus is lucky I'll let him leave before I do it."

"That is… kind of intense," Tristan muttered.

"I'm an intense person, just look at my employee file," I said; though that did make me wonder if I had in this world the same file I had in the real world.

"Alright Kaiba, what brings you here?" Mai asked. "We think we have most of it but let's hear it from you."

Seto launched into his story, nothing I didn't already know thanks to the show but for the others it was an eye opener. Tea had actually seemed rather startled that Seto had leapt out a window to escape a bunch of goons… startled and rather intrigued. Though that might have been because I always shipped Seto and Tea together so I was reading too much into her glances. Yugi was clearly sympathetic to all Seto had gone through, not that Seto actually cared, while Mai was muttering that this was supposed to be a simple tournament. Joey made a few comments but Seto, and the rest of us, pretty much ignored him and he began to pout that no one was joining in on ragging on Kaiba. As for Bakura…

…Bakura was FAR too interested in everything Seto was talking about. Especially when it came to Pegasus.

'Zorc didn't wait long to slide back into the driver's seat,' I thought to myself. 'I wonder if he's letting Bakura have his hand on the wheel most of the time and influences him only when needed… or if he is scamming us all.' I leaned towards the former, at least for now; Zorc didn't strike me as someone able to hold up a ruse for long. The idiot had pretty much revealed who he really was during Battle City within a few minutes when it would have been far smarter to play up being innocent Bakura, maybe begin killing Yugi's friends and pinning it on Marik and 'Oh dear lord I'm thinking like a villain again.' For goodness sake Marik of all people kept up the innocent ruse far longer than Bakura did!

Mokuba eventually spoke up and began to add in some details even Seto didn't know about, namely that Pegasus had mentioned the Hard Light technology.

"But he already uses that with the dueling platforms," Tristan said. "Why would he need what you have?" 

"Mine are far more advanced," Seto said with, for him, only a touch of arrogance. "He needs that entire platform to create monsters. I have gotten it down to a hand-held disc. And soon I'll make it even smaller. Plus mine are far more realistic."

It was hard to keep my mouth shut as I knew the real reason: Cecelia. Pegasus wanted to use the power of the Millennium Eye to play his wife's soul in a Hard Light body. Of course the poor fool had no idea that the Millennium Eye didn't work like that… I couldn't say 100% but I was pretty sure that the eye allowed him to see far more, including into the Afterlife. And possibly other things but he never really explored what it could do.

'The mind is the limit,' I quoted to myself.

After that it was the rest of the group's turn and it was rather interesting to see Seto's reaction to their comments. Tristan and Tea admitted that they had only come along to support Yugi and Joey, which earned a scoff and a comment that they were then as good as useless. It took all my willpower not to casually mention that Tea was a better duelist than Joey... which then led me to realize that Tea was the only character in the entire series to go undefeated and have dueled multiple times. Bakura said that he couldn't explain it but he'd been drawn to Duelist Kingdom which again earned a bit of derision from Seto. Joey though... that one surprised me. Joey came clean, with quiet humility, that he'd come because he'd heard about the prize money and his sister desperately needed the cash for an operation to save her sight. Seto... said nothing. No comments that she was out of luck, no cracks about Joey better using his time getting her canes and sunglasses, no comments that Joey was a mutt already so he might as well be her seeing eye dog. He just quietly listened and nodded.

And then Yugi, proving someone could be both shy and utterly reckless at the same time, flat out told Seto all about how his grandpa's soul had been stolen by an ancient Egyptian artifact.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You fraggle-rockin' idiot," I muttered under my breath.

"Please, you expect me to believe that garbage?" Seto asked, standing up.

"But it's true, Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed. "And you better understand that you are dealing with forces that are far greater than you can imagine!"

"I am dealing with a rich man who thinks his money lets him do whatever he wants."

I gagged on the hypocrisy.

"I don't know what you are playing at, Yugi, but if you think I have the time to sit around and swap tall tales with you then you truly are delusional. Let's go Mokuba."

I was ready to speak up when, of all people, Mai cleared her throat. "I thought you were supposed to be smarter than this, Kaiba."

"Excuse me?" Seto said, glaring at her. "Who are you to talk to me like that? Some duelist with delusions of grandeur who only got where she is by-" 

I leapt to my feet and stepped right into Seto's personal space, jaw clenched and nostrils flared. Seto glared right back at me and I tensed, ready for the blow to come. Mokuba was saying something, trying to get us to separate, but honestly I couldn't hear him.

"Edwin, it's endearing that you want to stick up for me but please sit down," Mai said. I was suddenly aware that she was standing behind me, arm wrapping around me, fingers lightly running along my side in a calming manner and klaxon alarms were screaming in my head and Picard was declaring that the shields were done and the ship was damaged. "And Kaiba, if you would actually act like the great tactical genius you are suppose to be maybe you'd see the flaw in what you just said."

"What? Don't tell me you buy into this magic crude," Seto complained.

"Of course not," Mai said with a scoff. "But Yugi and his friends do. And that should be raising a ton of red flags."

"For them being gullible dweebs? Already did." 

"No," Mai countered before considering what he'd said. "Okay, maybe Joey-" 

"HEY!"

"-but are you going to stand there and tell me that Yugi seems like the one to fall for an easy trick?" That made Seto pause and Mai pulled me a few steps back. I could see that Seto was fighting a battle to decide if he thought Yugi to be a fool for believing in magic… or remembering that Yugi was a skilled duelist who was used to seeing through such schemes and realizing what they really were. "You need to ask the right questions, Kaiba." 

"Like what?" he challenged.

"Why tell that kind of lie when they know you'd never believe it?" 

Even I blinked in surprise at that. 'The Liar Paradox,' I thought to myself. 'A man tells a lie so outrageous that it can't be true because he wants something. And everyone knows it can't be true so they'd never believe him. So why tell it at all? Why not tell a more believable lie? Because the lie actually IS the truth.' I paused. 'Wait, is that an actual thing or did I make that up?'

Mai continued to stare at Seto even as I tried to figure out if I'd gone so around the bend that I'd created a paradox and then Mandela Effected myself. "Well?" she asked. "Why would they tell you a lie they knew you'd never believe?"

"You better not be claiming that they are telling the truth."

She let out a sigh. "Men," she muttered, her and Tea sharing a nod of sisterhood while I found myself glowering at her along with the rest of the men at the insult at our gender. "I just said that I don't believe in magic-" 

"So what exactly happened to PaniK?" I asked innocently. Mai shot me a glare and I quickly mimed locking my mouth shut.

"-so of course I don't think it's true. But they do… so Seto, what could make Yugi Moto and his friends think that Pegasus had magic? And-" she said before he could speak, "-it has to be more than party tricks."

"Hey!" Joey complained. "It was more than that! That freaky one-eyed jerk has some sort of magic that lets him steal souls and read people's minds!"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah, and he managed to play Yugi in a duel with just a VCR tape!"

"So don't you-"

"The tape," Seto said suddenly.

"-claim that whaaaa?" Joey exclaimed, his complaints cut off at the ankles.

"Pegasus has always been interested in technology," Seto stated, eyes narrowing as he looked at Yugi. "Cutting edge tech. And there is a theory about using subliminal messages in video to implant thoughts into people."

"But that's not-" Yugi began but Tristan, cluing in on what was happening, clamped his hand on Yugi's knee and shook his head, letting Seto continue working things out.

"He knew that he needed to beat you and in a public way. And the best way to do that was to make you think you had no choice. He drugs your grandpa, gets him sent to the hospital, then uses that tape to implant false memories that you faced him in a duel…" And then I saw something I'd never seen before: Seto Kaiba recoil in horror. "My hardlight technology."

"What about it?" Tea asked, leaning forward.

"If Pegasus figured out a way to implant the hypnotic suggestions into a hardlight hologram… one that would be sure to get the attention of the entire world…"

Mai went pale, her voice soft, "He could brainwash every duelist on the planet. No… more than that! He could use it for movies, for TV… he could control everyone!"

I was shocked and impressed. Even though I knew that the entire theory was wrong, that Pegasus really did have magic and his entire goal was to somehow stick his wife's soul in a hardlight body because Shadi had given him this world's version of the Resurrection Stone… what Mai and Seto were discussing sound like a perfectly evil plot a Yu-Gi-Oh! villain would come up with.

"He will alter the minds of world leaders. Force schools to teach his version of history. He will turn us all into his subjects and we won't even know he's doing it," I said softly. I shot a dark look towards Yugi and mouthed 'Don't fuck this up'. He, thankfully, read the room and stayed quiet… and I realized that thanks to the censors being unable to tell if I said fuck or duck I had figured out a way to curse!

"Then I have all the more reason to stop wasting time with all of you and instead deal with Pegasus," Seto said, standing up and smoothing out his coat. "I will not let him use my technology as part of some demented scheme to take over the world. Come on Mokuba… we have a meeting with Pegasus!" 

"Right!" Mokuba declared, leaping up.

"Seto!" I called out, pulling away from Mai. "Stop!"

"You aren't going to talk me out of this, Chaos," Seto sneered. "You heard what he's plotting."

"Yeah and that is exactly why you should be getting off this island right now!"

"What are you talking about? I am no coward. I'm not afraid of Pegasus."

"I know that!" I snapped, my frustration getting the better of me. I was tired, it was late, I'd nearly been set of fire, and I'd just had the Pharaoh treating me like I was a villain a few hours ago. I could mentally see my temper as a thick piece of sailing rope, fraying rapidly. "But are none of you using your heads?" I turned in a circle, arms out wide. When all I got were glowers and blank stares my head drooped and I let out a long suffering sigh. "Okay," I said slower, "let's try this again. Pegasus wants to beat Yugi because he beat you and for some demented reason the Big 5 need the new CEO of Kaibacorp to be a good duelist… or a winner… or whatever. So… what is the one thing you could do to completely derail his plans?" 

"Beat Pegasus," Seto said coolly.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Oh for Plucky Duck's sake. No Seto, because the Big 5 will STILL see you as weak and not want you as CEO." I held up a hand, not even needing to look at him to know what he was about to say. "I am not saying you are weak I am saying the Big 5 are so moronic they couldn't find their own Alp holes with both hands."

"…is he always like this?" Seto asked.

"YES!" Everyone declared.

Fighting the urge to begin flailing my arms (mostly because I feared I'd become poorly drawn with sharp teeth and a huge head like Tea had and I did NOT want to experience what that felt like!) I instead said with as much cold restraint as I could muster, "What I am saying is that you and Yugi have a duel right here, one that Yugi throws on purpose. You then leave and inform the police that Pegasus kidnapped your brother. We head to the castle and deal with Yugi's unfinished business, the bad guys get arrested, and none of us end up dead. Then when we all get back to Domino you have an actual duel to settle things? How does that sound?"

I could literally hear crickets decide at that moment to begin chirping.

"Tch," Seto said finally. "I shouldn't be surprised that an American would have no idea about honor or anything like that. If you think for a moment I would be satisfied with getting back my company through underhanded tricks then you are a fool."

"Kaiba's right," Yugi told me. "To throw a duel? That isn't the way of an honorable duelist."

I turned and saw that everyone, even Mai, were nodding in agreement.

"…fine," I said in frustration. "Fine. You go marching up there Kaiba and you do your thing. Fine, great. Why do things simple? Hey, why don't you agree to just use a random deck that Pegasus gives you? Really show him up?" I turned and began to move towards the tent before suddenly stopping. "Wait, no, not fine!"

"You aren't talking me out of this. In fact I'm done talking to you. Come along Mokuba-"

"Don't risk your brother, you Buddha dam idiot!" I roared.

THAT got Seto to stop.

"Excuse you?"

"Yeah, excuse me," I said sarcastically. "Pegasus already showed that he's willing to do anything to get your company, including kidnapping Mokuba. What is to stop him from rushing you with all his goons before you can get off your challenge, grabbing Mokuba, and using him as leverage to get you to duel under his rules, with his mind control tech?" Seto didn't say a word and seeing that maybe, just maybe, I was getting through to him, I continued on. "Do the smart thing, Seto… let me continue watching Mokuba. Pegasus said as long as Mokuba remains with me and I remain in the tournament he won't go after him. I'm willing to forfeit my chance to get into the finals to keep him safe."

"Edwin!" Mai exclaimed.

"You can't do that, man!" Joey shouted.

"I can and I will because this is more important! This is about Mokuba and I'm not going to let him get hurt."

Seto looked at me and then down at Mokuba. "He's been protecting me already Seto… I want to go with you but I don't want Pegasus to use me against you…"

I could tell it was killing Seto to admit I was right. He saw me as a coward and a fraud because I didn't subscribe to his damn honor when it came to a children's card game. But he also saw I was right. And he hated me for that.

Let him. Hate was becoming an old friend.

"What do you want?" he finally asked. "You wouldn't give up this chance out of the goodness of your heart. So what is it you really want, Chaos?"

Honestly I had been willing to give it all up. I was coming to realize that Jor-El's words to Clark worked just as well for me: 'Even though you resemble then… you are not one of them'. No matter how much I looked like them, tried to act like that, in that moment it was clear that I would never be like Yugi and his friends or even Seto. It was a chilling realization, to understand that I truly was the only person in the world to feel the way I did. That I was the absolute outsider.

But after that heartbreaking revelation… came the realization that I was completely and utterly free.

"$3 million," I said. Seto narrowed his eyes at that. "The prize money I'm giving up. $3 million dollars. You are going to write a check…" I paused for dramatic effect, "…made out to Serenity Wheeler."

"Wha…whaaaa?" Joey exclaimed, nearly toppling into the camp fire.

"Edwin?" Tea said softly.

"Seriously man?" Tristan said, startled.

"Seriously. You heard Joey… she needs an operation to restore her sight." I looked at Yugi who realized what I wanted to say and quickly grinned and nodded. "Yugi and I made a pact when we decided on our alliance… whoever won would donate the prize money to Serenity for her operation. If I'm sacrificing my chance to get the cash that way then I need another way to do it. So… $3 million dollars to save her vision."

"…please Seto?" Mokuba whispered.

"Deal," Seto said, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a checkbook.

I felt light headed and giddy. I felt joy like I never had before. I felt-

"Sorry Ed… but I can't let ya do that," Joey stated, standing up. "I can't just accept that money. But," Joey smirked and held up his deck, "I will accept a duel with Kaiba here, and if I win I get the money!" 

-rage. I felt white hot rage.

~MC~MC~MC~

Mai should have enjoyed the duel.

Joey had been an arrogant little pill ever since he'd beaten her and it'd only gotten worse with Rex's defeat. He'd been crowing about how great he was doing, the number of Star Chips he had, and how he was going to defeat everyone on the island. So seeing him failing about so miserably against Kaiba should have been balm for her soul.

Instead all she could do was turn away, unable to watch.

First because she knew that with every monster Kaiba destroyed the chances of Joey's sister being able to see again withered. It didn't have the thrill and excitement it might have had knowing that a young girl's way of life was a stake.

Second… she was concerned for Edwin.

He had grown utterly quiet when Joey had challenged Kaiba. Mai had thought he'd begin to rant and rave but instead he'd stood there, jaw clenched but otherwise not reacting at all. Everyone except Joey could sense that Edwin was barely hanging onto his rage and the longer he was forcing it down the worst it was getting. And Mai knew how unhealthy that could be… hell, Edwin had begun to show her that bottling up her own feelings was a bad idea and now he was doing the same thing.

Finally, mercifully, the duel ended with Joey on his knees, blankly staring as Kaiba recalled his Duel Disc. He didn't even react when the older duelist walked across the beach they had decided to have their duel on and ripped the device off Joey's arm; all he could do is murmur, "I lost". Mokuba, who had chosen to stand with Seto during the duel, looked at his big brother and Kaiba put his hand on his shoulder and said a few quiet words to him before walking over to where Mai was standing with Edwin, looking at the blond man before taking out his checkbook.

"Just because Wheeler is a fool doesn't mean I don't pay off my debts." He rapidly filled out the check, tearing it out and holding it for Edwin to take. "You aren't allowed to give this to anyone named or connected with the Wheeler family. You do and you void the payment. And I will collect every cent back. Maybe that will teach you not to help losers who can't even help themselves."

Edwin snatched the check and stuffed it in his pocket. He didn't even say a word. There was no need.

Kaiba took his leave and the moment he was gone Yugi and his friends swarmed over to Joey, comforting him.

"It's alright, Joey," Tea said, rubbing his back.

"You did the best you could, man," Tristan stated.

"I can't believe I lost," Joey said again. "I failed my sister."

**"YES YOU DID!"**

Edwin finally erupted.

"Listen," Bakura said, walking over and holding up his hands as Edwin storm towards Joey. "Now isn't the time for this-"

"Shut it," Edwin snapped. "Now is not the time where you fools are coddling Joey after he just tossed away his sister's chance to keep her eyesight."

"Hey, man!" Joey exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Lay off! I feel bad enough as it is!"

"You SHOULD feel bad you moronic, arrogant, guttersnipe!" Edwin roared. "You let your ego get in the way of helping your sister! You realize what I sacrificed to help you out? You tossed that away because you wanted to stick it to Kaiba! And your "friends" refuse to call you out on it! Maybe if they had in the past not patted you on the head and forgiven you for every boneheaded thing you did you wouldn't have been so stupid in the first place and screwed over your sister!" 

"I said lay off!" Joey said, giving Edwin a shove. "You have no idea what I'm going through!" Joey turned away, the anger draining a way a touch, replaced by sadness. "My sister… I wanted to help her. She's in the hospital and she's suffering and I wanted to help her… none of you know what it's like to see someone in that position and feeling helpless."

"…I do know," Edwin said softly, his own anger leaving him. He took a shuddering breath. "My mom-"

Joey though snapped, "Man, who cares about your stupid mom! We're talkin' about my sister!"

Edwin reeled as if struck.

"JOEY!" Tea exclaimed in horror.

"You don't mean that," Yugi said quickly. "Edwin, he didn't…he didn't…"

"Come on man…" Tristan said. "Don't say stuff like that."

"She's dead."

Mai snapped her head towards Edwin, the tears falling down his face.

"Cancer. I watched her die, Joey. I didn't even get a chance to help her. To save her. I had to watch her die. At first I begged her to fight, only in my mind because she was in a coma… and then I told her it was okay, that she could go, that it was okay. I didn't even get to say goodbye. The last memory of my mother was her gasping for air after we… I… let them take her off life support. So… don't…" He couldn't finish. Instead Edwin, gripped his head in his hands, fingers twisting in his hair, before he slowly turned and began to walk away from the beach where Joey and Seto had had their duel.

"Ed… man… I…" Joey reached out but then dropped his hand. Mokuba looked at the group before rushing to head after Edwin. "I didn't mean… my sister… with her-"

Mai's arm lashed out and the back of her hand struck Joey full on the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Don't you dare come back to my camp. You aren't wanted." She turned on her heels and began to march off, not looking back.

"Well… so what?" Joey called out in anger. "Who needs you or your that crybaby Ed! We'll do fine on our own! Who asked for your help anyway!? Huh? Huh!?"

Mai could hear Joey's friends calling out for her to stop but she kept going, picking up her pace to catch up with Edwin and Mokuba. When she did she didn't say a word, instead silently joining them in returning to where their tents were. But rather than go to sleep Edwin sat down in front of the camp fire and looked at it numbly. Mai settled down beside him and after a moment wrapped an arm around him, Edwin letting his head rest on her shoulder as he sucked back tears.

After about ten minutes Mokuba, who'd sat down next to Edwin and leaned against him, quietly said, "Seto and I… our parents died in a car crash. Edwin… does it ever stop hurting?"

He shut his eyes and Mai knew the answer he should give. 'Yes it does'. 'You learn to move on'. 'It gets better'.

But she knew the answer, even if he didn't say it. Mokuba did too. Not the sweet lie but the honest truth.

'No. It never does.'

"Do…" Edwin began, his voice trembling, "do you ever get the feeling… that you aren't the hero of the story?"

All Mai and Mokuba could do was press themselves against him.


	10. Duelist Kingdom Part 8- Guardian Devil

Yuri Gardner was dead tired.

And why shouldn't she be dead tired? She'd been up for over 24 hours, been crisscrossing Domino, and had to deal with procedural red tape for the last 3 hours. And the station's coffee maker had decided to go on the fritz meaning she couldn't even get a decent cup-

A large dark green cup with the familiar Ishmael's Logo was plopped down on her desk next to the beat up sad little deck box that held her pathetic half constructed deck. Yuri snatched it up before anyone could even think about taking it away, taking a long guzzle of the life-giving liquid within. Well, life giving for a tired cop.

"Hey kiddo," the Bringer-Of-Coffee said and Yuri looked up from gazing lovingly as her cup. "Heard you've been having a rough night?"

"That's putting it lightly, dad," Yuri said. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking in on you," Ken Gardner said, settling into the chair next to her desk. He was wearing a nice suit, briefcase at his side, and decidedly looking nothing like the cop he had been when she'd been a little kid. He looked just like the suits he'd once complained about that worked in the commissioner's office; which made sense considering he was now one of Commissioner Carey's top men. "Ugh, have these always been so uncomfortable?"

"Yes," Yuri said. "Now, are you here as my dad or for the commissioner?" she asked.

"That's kind of rude, kiddo."

"And you avoid questions when you know people won't like your answer," she pointed out. "So that means you're here for the commissioner." Pulling herself away from her desk she leaned back in her chair and let lose a sigh. "Alright, go ahead. What have I done wrong now?"

"It's not about doing something wrong-" Her father began.

"Dad, cut it out. I don't need the HR speech from you." She sipped on her coffee, letting it slowly get her mind working again. She should have grabbed a few hours of sleep when they were processing the goons they'd scooped up from the Kaiba Estate but she hadn't wanted to risk someone coming in and taking control of her investigation. Some detective with more experience moving to help poor little Yuri who couldn't even stay awake. No, this was her bust and it was a big one and she was keeping her fingers in it like a hawk grabbing a fish. "We both know that you wouldn't be here if I was doing everything right." She paused. "No, I take that back. I am doing everything right but someone doesn't like that because it doesn't look good on the department."

"That's not how it is, Yuri," her father complained.

"You know, you used to actually care about the law before you become the commissioner's spokesman." Her father glowered at her for going to that topic but frankly she didn't care if he saw it as a low blow. "Now all you care about is poll numbers and smoothing things over with the elite."

"That is how we make sure this city functions properly."

"No, that's how you make sure that the norm you long decided was good enough remains the same." Yuri shook her head in disgust. "Come on dad, you used to believe in the law! Before you sold your soul for a fat paycheck."

Her father glowered at her, the good cheer and humor when he'd approached her disappearing. "We're not having this argument again, Yuri."

"Of course we aren't because you've decided that a penthouse is worth more than your dignity."

"No, I care about our family and making sure you girls have a better life." 

"You mean Tea getting a better life," Yuri pointed out. "I would have gotten into the academy easily enough. I didn't need you greasing palms to do so… and no, I don't care what you claim or how you try and convince everyone you didn't do that. I know. You never believed in me so you paid people off to get me in." She huffed. "And Tea is stronger than you think… if you told her now that you weren't going to be able to send her to that performance school in New York and that she would need to change her plans she'd understand. Tea isn't a trust fund brat, dad, and she certainly isn't like the children of the scum you worry about playing nice with."

"Yuri, enough," her father said firmly. "We aren't discussing this anymore."

She glared at him before taking her half finished coffee and dumping it in the trash. "Fine. Then I have work to do. And since we both know whatever you came down to discuss has to do with you once more being the lackey of Domino's Elite that means, per your own words, our conversation is over and I need to begin interviewing the men we picked up."

Her father though merely shook his head. "Yuri… you need to let the men go."

"No," she said sternly.

"They are KaibaCorp security-"

"Actually they aren't. I requested records concerning KaibaCorp's security firm and those men aren't actually linked to the company. They are linked to the KaibaCorp's board of directors apparently… but more off the books as far as I can tell. But nothing official."

"The Board is part of KaibaCorp."

"That's like saying their maids work for KaibaCorp," Yuri shot back. "They held Seto Kaiba's servants hostage-"

"A misunderstanding."

"Bull," Yuri snapped. "And before you say that they are going to retract their testimony I already got them on record and had them sign statements." He winced at that and she smirked, enjoying watching him squirm. "Yeah. I know how you work, dad. Heard enough guys bitch about you and I certainly know you'll never do me any favors. So whatever the Big 5 are offering to get them to stay quiet it isn't going to work this time."

"Yuri, please," her father said, his tone softer and more compassionate. "This is something no one wants stirred up. This is the kind of case that must be handled quietly; with subtly to make sure no one gets hurt."

"You are wrong, Mr. Gardner," Kipling Chaos said, rolling his wheelchair over to them. He had surprised Yuri by refusing to leave the station after letting her know about his nephew's message, stating he wanted to stick around. He'd kept out of the way, which was another startling thing as Yuri was used to the rich and powerful that sought out her help forcing themselves into her investigations and generally making themselves utter pests. No, Kipling Chaos had merely been on his phone and the worst he'd asked was where the vending machine was. "It is something I very much want stirred up."

Yuri's father cringed as the media mogul made his presence known. "Sir, I left a message with your secretary… the commissioner would like to meet with you-"

"To try and get me to back off on this?" Kipling asked sternly, his tone nearly as angry as Yuri's. "Maxamillion Pegasus is hunting my nephew, Mr. Gardner. I promised my brother I would look after Edwin and I will NOT fail in that promise. So unless the Carey is going to be willing to a live interview with Geoff Jurgens tonight I don't want to talk with him."

"We aren't discussing Maxamillion Pegasus," her father stated, his tone brokering no argument.

Kipling Chaos didn't care.

"Oh yes, we are. The man kidnapped a child-"

"Mr. Pegasus' lawyers have already met with the commissioner and explained everything." Her father reached into his briefcase and pulling out a statement. "After Seto Kaiba disappeared Mr. Pegasus took it upon himself to bring the boy to his island for his own protection… a child can't be left alone to fend for himself, after all. And Pegasus was a friend of the Kaiba brother's stepfather-"

Kipling pulled out his phone and began to type away. "Please, go on."

"This isn't for you to report," Ken stated. "I am merely letting you know-"

"You know that there isn't actually 'off the record', right? That is just something movies and television shows came up with. Everything is on the record. But don't worry, I'm not going to report this because I'm sure the commissioner is going to release the statement in a few hours when he announces that he's dropping all charges against those men that invaded Seto Kaiba's home and is ending the investigation. But please, continue."

Yuri's father face twisted into a scowl at how he was being dismissed but years of dealing with the rich and powerful allowed him to get right back on track. "Mr. Pegasus felt that it was his duty to see after Mokuba. The young man though…" Yuri's father paused before finally saying, "There is a reason why Seto Kaiba has kept him isolated. The boy has issues… mental ones… that can lead to delusions."

Yuri cut in. "You have proof? And I mean proof that hasn't come from Pegasus? Doctors that aren't on his payroll? Documents he didn't give you?"

"She brings up a good point."

Ken didn't answer. "Your nephew thinks he's doing the right thing but he doesn't realize that all the claims of kidnapping and hostile takeovers are merely the delusions of a sick child."

Kipling raised an eyebrow to that. "Hmmm. And this all came from the man accused of kidnapping Mokuba Kaiba? The same one my nephew states is hunting him?"

"To ensure that Mokuba isn't harmed. Your nephew is in no danger."

"Good friends with Gozaburo Kaiba?"

"Yes," her father said, relieved that Kipling was listening to him.

The head of Chaos Communications passed over his phone, Yuri leaning over to see that it was a Youtube video entitled 'Pegasus Owns KaibaCorp CEO'. "Took a bit of time to find, since this happened before Youtube really was a big thing, but I think if you watch it you'll find Pegasus' opinion on Mr. Kaiba quite clear… they aren't friends." He took back his phone, not even bothering to play the video. "But you've already decided to cover this all up because your masters demand it."

Yuri's father stood up, glaring at the man. "Maxamillion Pegasus is a pillar of Domino society, sir, and I am not going to drag his name through the mud because your nephew fell for a sick boy's delusions. You'd be wise, if you are in contact with him, to tell him to surrender the child before we bring charges up on him."

"And now you are threatening my nephew, a reporter for Chaos Communications, and an American citizen. Oh… please make this an international incident. I will so enjoy reducing you to janitorial work. Tell me is Ken short for something or is that your full name. I want the article on this cover up to be accurate." He snapped a picture before Yuri's father could reaction.

"Delete that now!" the man snarled.

Kippling though merely pocketed the phone. "Please. Assault a man in a wheelchair. Just make your descent into destruction all the quicker."

Ken pulled back, struggling to gain control of his emotions. "You are meddling in things that you don't understand. Drop this now, sir."

"And when Seto Kaiba returns and has issues with you doing the bidding of the Big 5?" Yuri asked.

Her father glared at her, jaw set firm. "Your investigation is over, Yuri."

"You already got my captain to release those men, didn't you?" Yuri asked, unable to even be hurt anymore by her father's actions. "You don't care in the slightest that Tea is on that island, do you? All you care about is your image-"

"Yuri, its done."

"If Tea is hurt it is on your head!"

"Let it go or I swear I will stop protecting you. As for Tea Mr. Pegasus has assured me that he will place her on the first boat off the island. She'll be back her by supper, trust me." He paused. "I understand that you saw this as a way to make your mark but you leapt too quickly and without doing the proper legwork. Let it go so it doesn't affect your career." He reached over and patted her shoulder. "Understand, kiddo?"

"Understood, Mr. Gardner," Yuri said coldly, smacking his hand away.

"Don't," her father snapped. "Petulant isn't a good color for you." 

"Should she be corrupt like you?" Kipling asked idly. "Best hurry back to the office… you'll be needing to prepare your statement."

Her father took back the paperwork Pegasus' lawyers had provided, ignoring the threats. "I should warn you that Industrial Illusions will sue you for libel if you report any of this, Mr. Chaos. And you will find no friends in Domino. Not when it comes to the Big 5 or Maxamillion Pegasus. My recommendation is you allow Mr. Pegasus to explain things to your nephew so he can make amends for the false statements he has shared with you. And if you are still in contact with him it is the recommendation of the Domino Police Department that he head to Pegasus' castle and end this façade." Kipling merely let out an amused huff. "Yuri, come over for dinner tonight." It wasn't a request, it was an order, and both knew it.

Yuri stood at her desk for a moment as her father walked away before she growled and began to gather up the paperwork she was working on and stuffing it into her drawers, not even bothering to sort it. Kipling turned his wheelchair to face her. "I assume there is something that was left unsaid that I am missing."

"I am going to be called into my captain's office in a few minutes and told that I am getting a paid vacation. In other words they want me far away while they clean up this mess and make nice with the Big 5."

"And they aren't worried about what will happen if Seto Kaiba returns?"

"He isn't here right now so my father is at the mercy of those that are. Meaning he will bow to the Big 5's wishes. Pegasus' too. If Seto Kaiba returns then they will find a way to apologize to him and assure him they tried to do everything they could. Probably hold up my investigation as proof that they did try and help his brother."

"And he cares nothing about the fact that your sister is on that island as well?"

"You'd be amazed what one is willing to sacrifice just to 'keep the peace'."

Kipling considered that before nodding. "Are you going to see your father tonight? If I can ask?"

"Yes." 

"Pity. I was hoping I could convince you to join me for dinner tonight." Yuri looked down at the man but he merely smiled. "I am thinking of taking a trip… not by myself, of course. The Big 5 aren't the only ones with their own private security. And since you have vacation time available, perhaps you'd like to join me? I have my eyes on a certain island…"

Yuri, for the first time since her father had arrived, grinned.

~MC~MC~MC~

One of the nicer things about being stuck in an anime like Yu-Gi-Oh! was that the body types were pretty generic. Heights would be wildly different, hair color and styles were… well, duh, and clothing options were pretty extreme, but body types? You had only a handful for each gender unless you were a completely original character: rail thin, average, overly muscular, or bloated with fat. That was it.

While I wasn't out of shape in the slightest before I had arrived in this world my body had been pretty fit save for the fact that I had a tiny belly on me. No beer gut or anything like that… so long as I didn't take my shirt off everyone just assumed I was thin and trim… but there was still a tiny bit of a muffin top. Though I had decided about a month or so before my arrival to get in better shape. My legs were already perfect runner's legs but I wanted my entire body to match. So I'd taken up speed walking with weight training and begun to burn off some excess weight.

But in this world? In this world I fell into the 'average' body type which meant that my stomach was utterly smooth.

Thus where I might have felt self conscious getting dressed in front of anyone back home here on Duelist Kingdom it was nothing for me to emerge from the bushes after my shower wearing just a pair of blue jeans, toweling my hair dry while the sun beat down on my bare shoulders.

"Morning Edwin!" Mokuba said cheerfully, looking up from the bag of cereal he was happily munching from.

"Hey Mokuba. If you want to go next you can." I jerked my thumb back towards Mai's portable shower was set up.

"Nah, I'm good," he said.

"To be young," I muttered.

"What does that mean?" Mokuba asked.

"When you get a little older and begin to notice girls or boys you'll care how you look and smell," I stated, taking a seat next to him and pulling the bag out of his hands and pouring myself a bowl of frosted wheat bites.

Mokuba wrinkled his nose at that. "No way! Girls are nice and all…"

"Yes, they are," I teased.

"But they won't make me worry about stuff like that!" He paused for a moment, brow screwing up in confusion. "Boys?"

"If that's what floats your boat," I said with a shrug.

Mokuba though just shook his head. "Well, boys or girls, I won't feel the need to impress them. I'm going to be just like my big brother!"

I opened my mouth to counter that only to snap it shut. 'Huh… he does have a point there. I honestly think Seto might be asexual.' I shrugged and went back to my meal. "You'll never know what life might bring. And before you knock it… sometimes it's nice to have people admire how you look."

"Like Mai does?" Mokuba asked, nodding across the camp where Mai had been sitting, working on her deck. Mokuba and I had promised to leave her be, to let her figure out what cards to remove and which ones to add to her deck in peace while we got ready to start our days. Except she had stopped what she was doing and was now openly staring at me. It took several moments for Mai to notice that I had spotted her and she quickly ducked her head away, focusing once more on her deck or doing her best to do so.

"Crud," I muttered to myself, suddenly realizing that my prancing about half naked might not have been the best idea.

"What's wrong?" Mokuba asked.

"Nothing," I stated, setting my bowl down and going over to my suitcase to pick out a shirt. "Shirt shirt shirt shirt shirt," I muttered to myself. Grabbing a steel-gray colored one I yanked it on before turning and unbuttoning my pants and tucking the shirt in before slipping a belt on and working on getting my socks and shoes on. My hoodie was draped over the log Mokuba was sitting on, waiting for me to grab it when needed.

"Adults are weird," Mokuba muttered.

"Yup," I admitted as I tugged on my socks and grabbed my hiking boots. "It's the great curse of humanity… we all tend to think those older than us are stupid and annoying and don't understand things… and we're doomed to end up growing up to become them. The kid who gets annoyed by his teenage sibling not wanting to play anymore becomes the one staring at the mirror working on their hair. We become the overbearing parents, the unhip 40 year olds, the crotchety old men who want the kids off our lawns. Such is life." Grabbing my Tigers cap (because no matter what Michigan had to be represented… even if at this point the Old English D was one of the most classic baseball caps one could wear I did it out of homeland pride) I checked to make sure that the solar battery I'd plugged my phone into during the night had charged it fully before pocketing it and my ear buds before setting out to get packed up. "Put any thought yet into what kind of deck you want to use?"

Now it was Mokuba's turn to shrug but it wasn't a dismissive one, nor was it one of boredom. Rather it was… well, it was hard to put into words. In fact that might be the best way to describe it: Mokuba didn't know how to put his thoughts to words so instead he conveyed it all with a shrug. "A bit? I guess I know what I don't want to use?"

"That's a great start," I said. "Eliminate choices… makes it easier to sort through things." 

Looking relieved at that he said, "Well, I don't think I want to use Spellcasters." His eyes went wide. "I don't mean anything about that-" 

"Mokuba, it's fine," I reassured him as I went through all the books I'd brought and made sure I had them all. Which was a bit stupid as I dimly remembered that I was now a millionaire thanks to Seto and could afford to buy new ones… or an entire book store… "Not everyone likes using Spellcasters. I get it. Heck, if it weren't for Endymion I probably wouldn't use Spellcasters myself."

"You would use a different type of deck?" Mokuba asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Duelists always think about that… come up with other options, experiment, even if it is just to prove they were right with their main deck."

"He's right," Mai said, walking over to join us. She tossed her own coat over my hoodie and took a seat. "Look, I might be a Harpie Deck user but I've thought of other decks that I'd like to try out and know ones I would never, ever touch." 

"Like?" Mokuba pressed, clearly interested.

She considered for a moment. "Warriors," she final said and I ducked my head to hide my smile. Said smile only grew all the more as she continued. "But not those ugly things that so many little boys want to use because it makes them look tough. A band of warriors who are skilled and cunning and know how to fight…" She scowled. "And no ninjas."

"Bad experience?" I asked.

"Yes. No… kind of?"

"Ex?"

"Yeah."

I nodded, remembering her insane stalker ex from Battle City. Claude and I were going to have words if he tried to abduct her again.

'Yeah, that's great… just keep acting like you're her white knight. That will get her to stop lusting after you.' I mentally rolled my eyes.

"What about you, Edwin?" Mai asked.

"Probably easier to say which decks I don't like than I do," I said, making a show of sweeping the area around my tent to make sure I wasn't missing anything that needed to be packed up. It gave me time to think. I had to be careful because I couldn't honestly tell them that back in my world, thanks to structure decks and reprints and such, I actually had around 40 different decks of various strength. Including both of Mai's decks. 'Heh, wonder what Seto would say if he knew I had a Blue Eyes fusion deck?' Out loud I stated, "Well, I don't think I'd ever use fiends." I did have two fiend decks but they were purely modified structures. "And… machines neither. Or beasts. Oh, or water either so Mako won't have to worry about me being a threat."

"And what decks would you use?" Mokuba pressed.

"Warriors," I stated, thinking of my different Hero decks… though because of Jaden and Aster those were out. "There are a few multiple attitude decks that I'd have to work through to get to work but would be fun." My mind flashed to Dogoran. "Now, your turn Mokuba."

"…I don't know if Seto would be happy but I think I'd like to do something with dragons. When you mentioned him giving me the Blue Eyes… I know those are his dragons but it would be nice to have my own."

I stopped myself from saying, "Who gives a fuck what Seto thinks?" It was his brother and no matter what he did Mokuba loved Seto. And I would not mock or insult Seto, despite my issues with that cocky bastard, in front of his little borther. So instead I said, "I'm sure that Seto wouldn't mind you using dragons of your own. In fact I bet it would make it easier for him to help you out building a deck. He understands how to use dragons."

Mai nodded. "And you want my advice? Go with dragons that are different from his Blue Eyes. Different style, different methods of dueling. That way he doesn't get threatened."

"Good idea," I said, satisfied that I was all packed. All that was left were the tents. I walked over and sat next to Mokuba as he began to ramble on about what different ways he'd like to take on an opponent. And as he did so I glanced at Mai… and wondered how the hell we'd become a family unit where we were mommy and daddy to Seto's little brother.

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

Joey grumbled as he leaned down and placed his hands into the cool pool of water, cupping his palms and splashing his face. "Stupid Kaiba…" he grumbled to himself. He looked at the water's surface, seeing it slowly stop rippling and become reflective enough to show his face… and he smacked it with his hand in frustration. "Stupid…"

It was past noon but Joey had only been up for about 20 minutes, the rest of the gang still sleeping. They hadn't gotten to sleep until it had been nearly dawn and he couldn't even claim that the night had been a calm one. First there had been Yugi dealing with that giant jerk PaniK, and then Kaiba showing up and trouncing him in a duel meaning that he'd lost out on the chance to help his sister, and then the fight with Edwin that had seen him and Mai and Mokuba storm off and kick them out of the camp. That had led to the teens spending about an hour hiking through the forest to find another clearing… and when they'd found one the arguments had begun.

Tea had been the one to start in on him and in retrospect he should have seen that coming. He'd begun to complain about having to sleep on the ground and she'd laid into him for how he'd screwed up, how it was his fault that they'd been kicked out of camp. Joey had tried to play it off, that Mai was just being overly sensitive, and that's when Bakura had surprised him by stepping in. The brit was soft spoken like always but he'd still admonished Joey for how he'd utterly dismissed Edwin and his feelings.

"His mother died, Joey. You had to see how that hurt him just to talk about it. And you treated it like it was nothing."

"Hey, how was I supposed ta know she was dead! It's not like Ed wears a sign around his neck letting us know he's an orphan." 

That had revved Tea up all the more. "Do you even listen to yourself? You hurt his feelings and you're trying to pin it all on him without taking any blame?" 

"Hey, I ain't doin' that!" Joey had protested.

"It sure seems that way!" Tea had snapped.

It was then that Tristan had finally spoken up. "You let your ego get in the way again, Joey. Edwin was willing to sacrifice millions to help your sister and you ruined it just so you could try and embarrass Kaiba. And then after you did all that you mocked his dead mother."

"I didn't mock his ma!" Joey had protested.

The argument had gone on for another hour before everyone had drifted off to sleep on opposite sides of the clearing. Yugi had been the only one to remain with him and that had been the worst part… the way that Yugi just quietly looked at him, not saying a word. It would have been so much easier if Yug had yelled at him or scolded him… but no. Yugi just looked at him before sadly shaking his head and quietly walking away to sleep.

Joey had tried to sleep but when he'd finally closed his eyes the nightmares had begun. First Kaiba standing over him, mocking him and calling him a dog and telling him to grovel at his feet while he wore a degrading dog costume. Then his sister had approached him but when he'd looked up at her he'd reeled back in horror at the sight; her eyes were completely gone and even as she smiled and told him that she knew he would help her those empty sockets had held his entire attention. He'd tried to get his friends attention but they had turned their back on him. Finally, just before he'd snapped awake, he'd looked up at the moon just in time for a pale white arm, massive in size, to seize him and begin to squeeze.

Finally Joey had given up trying to sleep and just gotten up. At first he'd just sat in their camp, looking at his friends not sleeping in comfy tents but on the hard ground using their coats as pillows and he'd felt something deep in his chest clench painfully. It was the same sensation he'd had after he'd tossed a piece of Yugi's Millennium Puzzle into that water at school. Despite trying to convince himself it was funny and the little punk had deserved it he'd felt something pulse in his stomach that made him feel like he'd gotten socked right in the gut.

He looked at his reflection again. "Just admit it Joey… everyone's right. You screwed up." He smacked the ground in frustration. "Ed was tryin' to help your sister and you had to open your big mouth… again! And then ya mocked his mom… yeah, just admit it… you screwed up." He didn't see his mom often, not since the divorce. He hadn't wanted to leave Domino, been afraid that if he started at a new school he'd be the loser like Yugi, so he stayed with his dad. And yeah it had worked out because if he had gone with his mom and his sister then he'd never have become friends with Yugi or Tea or Tristan or Bakura but that didn't mean he didn't miss her. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to NEVER see her again. He could at least call her up, visit on occasions… but for her to be just gone?

Joey stood up and adjusted his coat. "Yeah, I screwed up… but just like with Yug I can make this right! Mai still has ta battle Rex so we just need ta find where those two are and I'll be anything we'll find Ed!" He paused, scratching his chin. "Except Ed's smart… the way he goes on and on about things and tries ta figure out ways out of trouble… I bet he wouldn't stick around with Mai… gaaa! That mean's we'll have ta find him! And we can't do that if we are trying to get into the finals of this tournament… wait!" Joey snapped his fingers. "Ed is real good at duelin'! I bet he makes it to the finals too! So if Yug and I get ten star chips we can just head to the castle and find him there! Then I can apologize and make things right!" He thrust his fist into the air. "All I need ta do is find someone to duel!"

"I think I can arrange that," someone said behind him. Joey turned only to get struck in the head, everything going dark.

~MC~MC~MC~

Mokuba screwed up his face in utter confusion, looking at Rex Raptor as he tried to figure out the teen's logic.

"You think we're going to help Mai win?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, I do!" Rex declared. "So that's why you need to get going so we can have our duel!"

"But what if we promise to stay quiet?" Mokuba asked. "Or even just Edwin… I don't know anything about Duel Monsters!"

"Seto Kaiba's brother doesn't know-" Rex began to chortle only to go quiet when Edwin stepped forward.

"Rex?" he said.

"Uh… yeah?" 

"Stop being a jerk," Edwin said firmly. "You're better than that."

"Say what now?" Rex said, confused. Mokuba was too… he thought Edwin was going to tear into him like he had Joey. But instead he sounded… we'll, he sounded like some of Mokuba's tutors. Firm but only because he knew Rex could do better. It was annoying but Mokuba had come to understand why they acted like that. Seto had told him once when he'd complained that it was the job of people like that to get you to push yourself harder, to the point where you just did it yourself.

"That's Edwin," Mai said with a smirk, "he either thinks you can be better or that you are worthless."

"And I don't think you're worthless Rex. Not now, at least. But keep acting like you are?" Mokuba guardian gave a shrug. "Listen, you know who acts and sounds like that? Weevil. And he's human garbage. He's on his way out… beating you in that tournament is the best he'll ever manage. People don't want to root for a jerk and a cheat and they don't want to work with him either. Some people can get away with it…" Edwin glanced down at Mokuba and even though he didn't say the words the boy knew the man was referring to his brother. Mokuba loved Seto but he wasn't blind to his faults and knew his brother could be an utter jerk to people. "…but that's rare. Half of dueling is how you present yourself… give the crowds a hero to cheer for." He paused, taking a breath. "Just… try and be better, okay? You want something just say it but don't be a Nixon about it."

"What does being the President of the United States have to do with being a jerk?" Rex asked.

Edwin blinked at that. "Holy crap someone got a reference." He gave his head a quick violent shake and Mokuba forced himself not to giggle; that made him look like a cartoon character! "But you get what I'm saying?"

"Yeah," Rex said, a bit more mellow than he had been moments before when he'd been arguing with Mai that he didn't want her pulling any tricks. "But I still don't want you two watching us! This is between me and Mai and I know how tricky she can be."

"Listen Rex-" Mai began.

"Fair enough," Edwin said, cutting her off.

"Edwin?" Mai asked, turning and staring at him in surprise. He walked over to her and whispered a few words, Mai's eyes rapidly growing in size before she flashed a sly smile. "Right. Will do." She walked over and patted Mokuba on the shoulder. "Listen kid, I know you and I just met but you listen to me: stay safe, okay? When I get to the castle I'll let your brother know you're alright." 

"Good luck Mai!" Mokuba chirped.

She nodded before walking over to Edwin and, much to his guardian's surprise, gave him another kiss like she had the night before. "You stay safe, Edwin. I expect to see you in Domino in one piece. I still owe you a dinner."

"Uh… right," Edwin stammered and Mokuba chuckled at how the usually chatty man had been reduced to stammers.

"Hey Rex?" Mai said in a teasingly sweet tone. "I know you wanted to duel here but would you mind if we put a little space between us and Yugi? I want this to be private."

Rex considered that before nodding, a scowl on his face. "Yeah, I don't need that dolt Joey finding us and deciding to give his version of commentary. Come on… I get to pick where we duel though!"

"Agreed," Mai said, giving Edwin a nod before she headed off after Rex, suitcase rolling behind her.

Mokuba looked up at Edwin as the man began heading in the opposite direction. "Why didn't you put up more of a fight with Rex?"

"Because Mai and us separating is the best course of action for us at the moment. Pegasus is hunting for us via his Eliminators. But, and I could be remembering wrong, he doesn't have cameras all over, only near dueling platforms. So we just need to keep moving and avoid any duels and he'll have a harder time finding us." 

"That makes sense," Mokuba stated, lapsing into quiet as they continued on seemingly randomly through the forest. "Are you going to marry Mai?"

That made Edwin stutter step for a moment before he gathered himself. "We haven't even gone on a date Mokuba."

"Will you marry her eventually?"

"I don't even think I'm going to date her," Edwin said.

"Why not? She likes you. Don't you like her?"

"I do but… it wouldn't be right."

"Why not?" he repeated.

Edwin was silent for a long time and Mokuba was about to demand he answer the question when he finally stated, "Mokuba… I know a lot of things."

"Well… yeah. I know that." 

"I mean things I shouldn't. About people. Their pasts, their futures, so on."

"What, like a superpower?"

"No really."

"Then what is it?"

The man took a deep breath and then slowly let it out. "I'm not from this world, Mokuba. I'm from another reality. I'm not sure how I ended up here, as I doubt some B.R.O.B. dumped me here, I didn't make a wish, or try to kill myself and Fate sent me where I needed to go to heal… it doesn't matter, the point is I'm not of this world and because of that I know things I shouldn't."

Mokuba turned and stared up at Edwin. "Really?"

"Really."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with Mai?"

Edwin looked at him, clearly startled. "Uh… not freaking out that I'm an interdimensional traveler?"

Mokuba pulled a face. "I'm not my brother, Edwin. I saw Yugi make two guys DISAPPEAR. It actually makes a bit of sense… that's why you talk weird and stuff!"

"…right." It clearly surprised him that Mokuba was okay with that.

"So, what does that have to do with Mai?"

"I know a ton about her, Mokuba. So using that knowledge… it would be wrong." Edwin paused. "Though, I don't know much about her child hood… or her teenage years. And… well there is this canoe that is stalking her… huh." Edwin blinked. "I… actually don't know a lot about her."

"So you are being stupid just to be stupid?"

The man looked skyward. "I thought you felt girls were icky."

"For me? No thanks. But you?" Mokuba gave him a dry look. "I'm not stupid. Seto told me where babies come from."

"Seto Kaiba… told you about the birds and the bees?"

"No, he told me that men and women go to bed and-"

A tropical bird chose that moment to burst out of the bushes and screech so loud that both Mokuba and Edwin had to cover their ears as it flew around them several times. During which is continued to scream its head off before it finally flew off.

"What was that?" Mokuba finally said once his ears stopped ringing.

"The censors, I'd say," Edwin muttered, wiggling his finger in his ear. "I swear, if this gives me tinnitus all over again…"

"The censors?" Mokuba asked.

Edwin pinched the bridge of his nose. "How to explain, how to explain… so you accept I am from another reality, right? In my reality there are different versions of this world." He held up his hand and began to tick them off. "Japanese Manga. Americanize Manga. Japanese Anime. 4kids Dub of said Anime. That's the main 4. There are plenty of others. This world right here is the 4kids dub."

Mokuba's brow furrowed. "And what does that mean?"

"Right now we can't talk about anything too "adult". So if you try and tell me what you know about where babies come from we get… that-" he gestured in the direction the bird had flown, "-to cut you off."

"Wait… is that why you talk funny? About mother junkers and Richard Nixon?"

"Yup!" Edwin said, popping the 'p'. "Censors, got to love'em."

"Huh… that must be real weird."

"The weirdest."

"Then why don't you want to be with Mai?" Mokuba pressed.

Edwin yanked off his cap and ran his fingers through his hair. "Because it would feel like I was forcing her into it. And… listen, I'm not like most people. I don't have casual romances. When I'm with someone I fall in love hard. And when it doesn't work out…" I didn't feel like telling him that after my last long term relationship had utterly failed, even though I'd broken up with her, I had swore off dating for over a decade.

"And you don't think you could do that with Mai?"

"I-" He suddenly stopped as the sounds of branches breaking filled the airs. "Behind me. Be ready to run." Edwin tensed, fists balling up tight, and he didn't relax in the slightest when a boy around Mokuba's own age burst out of some bushes, panting and looking about wildly. He was wearing brown pants, a patched green sweater over a white undershirt, and a backwards blue and red hat over his shaggy brown hair. Noticing them the kid ran over to them tears in his eyes.

"Please… please you have to help! Some crazy guy attacked my big brother and shoved him into a creek and he can't get out! I tried to help him but I'm not strong enough to pull him up!" He sniffed harshly, tugging on Edwin's shirt. "Please, I think my brother's leg is broken! I don't want him to die!"

"Don't worry, buddy, we'll help," Edwin said, pulling out his phone and typing away at it. "Let me just-"

"There's no time! Please!" the kid sad, trembling in fear.

"Okay, okay, we're coming," Edwin said with a smile, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Lead the way. Mokuba, can you text Mai and let her know what is going on?"

Mokuba nodded, taking Edwin's phone as they began to race through the forest, the young boy ahead of them begging for them to hurry up. He didn't know why Edwin wanted him to text Mai when she-

He nearly tripped as he saw that Edwin had typed something already into the message screen.

IT'S A TRAP

~MC~MC~MC~

Seto Kaiba looked up at Pegasus' castle and felt his ire rising. There were many things about all this madness that he could, if not forgive, understand. He understood why the Big 5 had made their play now… they had never been his allies. He hadn't entered into the partnership with them to dispose of Gozaburo expecting them all to become a brand new sparkling family filled with picnics and holidays and all that other garbage. No, both sides had entered into their partnership understand that it existed to use the other. The Big 5 merely had been lax in their plotting, believing they had years to use Seto as a figurehead CEO, manipulating him into allowing them to explore their own desires.

'They are war profiteers who had no problem making money off of hurting the innocent… yet somehow they were better than Gozaburo,' Seto thought to himself. 'They merely did it because they had no morals… Gozaburo enjoyed the power that came from knowing he helped decide who lived and who died.'

So he could understand why they had decided to turn on him. Especially after his defeat at the hands of Yugi. The Big 5 had always been concerned with the impression of power; not just with themselves but those they served. For if they served a weak man it made them look weak and they simply couldn't stand that. That was why he had challenged his adopted father to that chess match… he knew that when he won the man would do anything to keep it quiet less the Big 5 begin to question his strength.

As for Pegasus he could understand why he would go into such a partnership, now that he understood exactly what the owner of Industrial Illusions hoped to gain. The ability to influence the minds of the world… Seto had to admit it was a grand temptation. Except… where was the thrill in victory if your opponent merely gave up? It was the same reason why Seto was always seeking out stronger opponents to challenge himself against… the desire to prove he deserved to be the best because he defeated the best. Controlling the world that way… that was simply boring. He would have thought Pegasus, with his own flamboyant nature, would be against such things as well but just looking at Duelist Kingdom showed that he loved control just as much as a challenge.

So he could understand many things. But the one thing he couldn't?

'Why does that prancing fool have an English medieval castle on an island in the Pacific?!' He shook his head in disgust. 'Wasting his wealth like that… how utterly foolish. I'd never waste money on such things!'

~MC~MC~MC~

I suddenly looked up as I chased after the boy I was sure more and more was an Eliminator and mouthed, "Bullshit" though I had no idea way.

~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi paused his search for the missing Joey, looked towards Pegasus' castle… and felt both himself and the Spirit of the Puzzle roll their eyes, not knowing why.

~MC~MC~MC~

Joey woke up with a start, the words, "Seriously?!" on his lips though he had no idea…oh, you know.

~MC~MC~MC~

Seto gripped the suitcase that contained his Duel Disc system and made his way up the final steps of the castle's great stairway to the great wooden doors that separated him from the man that had tried to take his company, had kidnapped his brother, and tried to have him killed. But rather than the guards he expected or even one of Pegasus' servants the man himself was calmly waiting for him. He stood there with his hands folded in front of him, a slight smile on his face, looking like he was waiting to welcome Seto in for a lovely Christmas vacation.

"Ah, Seto Kaiba… I assumed you'd be here sooner," Pegasus said with a smile. "Though I am pleased that you decided to come at a reasonable hour. I so do hate being woken up from my beauty's rest. It is so very important to get the proper amount of sleep."

"And looking at you it is clear you need all the beauty rest you can get."

Pegasus placed a hand on his chest. "You wound me, Kaiba!"

"Believe me, if I wounded you… you'd now it."

"Why so much anger, Kaiba? Is it because I am trying to take over your company? Considering how YOU came to claim the company it is almost a tradition that one commit a hostile takeover." He smirked, shutting his eyes. "But I don't plan on taking the Kaiba name like you did. I much prefer Pegasus." He paused, lips pressing into a thin line. "You know, I did much research on you Kaiba-Boy. I know more about you than you might know about yourself. But I never could figure out what your name was before you became Seto Kaiba. I don't suppose you'd be willing to satisfy my curiosity…?"

Seto merely glowered at him.

"Oh, you simply are no fun," Pegasus complained. "One would think that a child billionaire obsessed with games of both the video and card variety would have a better developed sense of humor."

"I'm not one for cheap amusement, Pegasus. Especially with people that try to kidnap my brother!" He took a step forward only for two red dots to appear on his chest, making him pause.

"Don't worry, that's merely my passive defense security system. It won't harm you in the slightest but it will ensure that you don't harm my fabulous person."

~MC~MC~MC~

Once more I felt the eager to mutter 'bullshit!'. "What the hell is going on?" I muttered.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Is that what you've been reduced to Pegasus? Cowering behind machines rather than face challengers head on?"

The creator of Duel Monsters merely gave a slight, 'what are you going to do' shrug. "It is a precaution one must sometimes resort to, sadly. I do so wish the world were a kind, pleasant place where all feuds and fights were settled with card games but, sadly, that is not the world we live in."

~MC~MC~MC~

'Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!' I mentally exclaimed before my eyes went wide. "What the hell is happening to me? Am I having a stroke?!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"For example," Pegasus continued, "when a certain nosey little mouse decides to wander into the cat's cage and try and sneak away with the cheese." He flashed a condescending smile. "You are the mouse in this scenario-"

"I gathered as much," Seto said dryly, remembering once more why he'd always hated dealing with Pegasus… or people in general. They were a waste of time, blathering on about meaningless things, wanting to debate topics that didn't matter, clinging to events and emotions that mattered little in the grand scheme of things. "Let me make this entirely clear, Pegasus: you kidnapped my brother, tried to kill me, and nearly took over my company. You've failed on all three parts. But I'll give you a chance to actually try and achieve your goal, though it is the smallest of chances in the world." He pointed right at the man that had become the bane of his existence. "You and I are going to have a duel and finally settle this once and for all!"

"…no."

Seto blinked at that, slowly lowering his arm. "What?" 

"No. It's a simple word, Kaiba… perhaps the simplest work in the English language. And here I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"What do you mean, no? Are… are you afraid to face me? Is that it? Only able to match me in a test of skill when you've used every trick and cheat to improve your chances."

Pegasus though merely guffed at that. "My my my don't we have an over-developed sense of self-worth?" He smirked and shook his head. "No Kaiba, I am saying no to many things. First that I have failed at anything. Your brother remains a prisoner on my island. Your company is as good as mine. And I wasn't the one to try and kill you so you can't truly pin that on me. That is far too messy for my tastes."

"And my challenge?"

"I've taken inspiration from someone."

"Who?"

"A mutual friend: Edwin Chaos."

Seto ground his teeth together at the mention of the man that was guarding Mokuba.

"You have met him, haven't you? I assume he still is in possession of Mokuba? His idea?" Pegasus laughed lightly before Seto could speak. "Of course it was. You wanted him with you when you went marching up here but Eddie-Boy… he talked you out of it. I have met many people, Kaiba, and I must say there is no one quite like him. He is a scoundrel and a cheat with the brightest code of honor. A white knight in the blackest armor." He taped his chin before he finished poetically, "He is the Guardian Devil." He smiled, rather pleased with the term. "Yes. That is the perfect title for this. The Guardian Devil. And when one such as I encounters a man like that one can't help but be… inspired. Edwin Chaos takes nothing at face value and does not accept the norms and rules the way the rest of us do. As such I think I will emulate him and inform you that, no, I won't be accepting your challenge just because you made it."

"And what will the Big 5 think when they find out that you cowered when issues a challenge?" Seto demanded with a smug grin. "Like you said, they are all about power… and I don't think it's going to look to well for you to run back into your gaudy castle rather than face me."

"Oh Kaiba-Boy… how can someone so brilliant be so stupid at the same time?" Pegasus brushed a few strands of hair from his right eye. "I am not accepting your challenge because you do not have any power here, despite what you may think. You are not the one in control of things; I am. If you wish to face me you are going to have to play by my rules." He snapped his fingers and from the castle came a servant carrying a small black and silver case, roughly the size of a toaster. "Normally it would be too late for you to enter my tournament but I do believe I will be willing to make an exception for you." The servant opened the case to reveal a dueling glove and 2 star Star Chips. "You will need to collect 10 Star Chips, same as anyone else, in order to be allowed into my castle. Should you manage to be the first then you will earn the right to challenge me right then and there. After that you will need to compete with 3 others for the other spot to claim the prizes. Be too slow and…" he chuckled, "I think you can imagine what will happen then."

Seto walked forward, his steps measured and body tense as he reached out and snatched the box from the servant. "Then you'd best prepare to face me Pegasus because there is no one on this island that will keep me from seeing you pay for all you have done."

"Yes yes, of course. I so do get tired of these proclamations to see me pay for what I've done. When you've heard one you've heard them all. I won't leave you a second longer." With that he turned and gave a cheeky little way. "See you soon, Kaiba-Boy."

'Yes,' Seto thought to himself as the castle shut up tight, 'you will, Pegasus. And when you do you'll pay for all you've done!'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Why are we doing this?" Mokua whispered as we followed at the kid. We'd been walking for 15 minutes, which was yet another checkmark in the box proving this was all a scam, and I could tell that Mokuba was getting tired and thus frustrated. "We know it's a trap… so why do this?"

"Do you know what you do when there is an obvious trap?" I smirked. "Spring it."

"Why? Isn't this what you warned my brother not to do?" 

"I warned him not to take an unneeded risk. This is me realizing we have little choice in the matter. If we run he'll just chase after us and we can't run forever. But Pegasus has honor, weirdly enough, and he's not going to send all the Eliminators after us while we duel this kid. Especially not when Yugi and your brother are still out there. So we are going to duel this kid. At worst we are buying time for Yugi and Joey to win and your brother to figure out how to deal with Pegasus. Speaking of you hold onto my suitcase, okay? My extra Star Chips are in there."

"How many do you have?" Mokuba asked.

"All together? Nine."

"You… what?!"

"Shh!"

Mokuba, in a softer voice, said, "You have nine Star Chips? You… you are one away from earning a spot!"

"Yeah. But you are more important right now so screw the tournament."

He grew quiet at that, clearly stricken by the fact that I had chosen to protect him over fame and glory. We chased after the kid leading us on his merry little run for five minutes until Mokuba finally spoke up again. "How did you know he was a fake? Oh! Is it because of being from another dimension?"

"No," I admitted. "I've never seen him before. But now that you say that…" Out loud I called out, "Okay kid… let's drop the act!"

"What?" the boy said, coming to a halt. "What are you-"

"I know you are really an Eliminator trying to get me out of this tournament. You wanted to drag me away from any help while you activated whatever plan you have in mind. So stop wasting my time and get with the villain speech, runt."

The kid turned towards us and stared for a moment before a cruel little smile formed on his lips, the smugness of it all completely altering his looks from frightened child to demented tiny monster. "I suppose it would do no good to try and convince you otherwise, would it?"

"None," I said, folding my arms over my chest.

"How did you figure me out? Usually I can get away with that cutsey kid crap for far longer."

'Well, you're dressed like Kit Cloudkicker and ever new character I've dueled on this island has been based on Tale Spin characters,' I mentally thought to myself even as aloud I stated, "Your story. You tried to play upon my savior complex, used that Big Brother rule I told Mokuba about. It was far too convenient. You'd have been better off claiming you were the son of one of the servants. Dress yourself up, say you'd gotten lost, lure us towards the castle. This was just sloppy, lazy work."

"Nothing I do is sloppy. It got you here, didn't it?"

"Because I let you lead us here," I replied. "Also I was there when Pegasus did his big speech… there weren't any kids around so claiming you were here with your big brother? Strike 2. But unlike baseball I didn't need another one. So… like I said do the villain speech already." 

"Then let me introduce myself," the kid said, his grin growing all the wider and he began to tilt his head to the right while his left shoulder slumped slightly, giving him a hunch-back quality. "My name is Bruno Hadrian… and I think I'm going to be the one that ends everything for you. Your time on this island, with Mokuba… existing."

"Cute," I said with a scoff. "Well Bruno, what is it you've been scheming to do? Because I doubt you had us run all the way out here just for the foliage."

The young Eliminator was all teeth and no comfort as he merely crooked his finger, motioning for us to follow. I shot a look at Mokuba who scowled at the kid before he let out a sigh and nodded, agreeing that we did have to see what Bruno was up to.

It turned out had I made him stop rather close to our final destination, just about a minute's walk, actually. Making our way around a bend I came to a stop upon seeing a deep gorge that I was pretty sure hadn't existed on any map of Duelist Kingdom I'd ever seen. It was the classic Jumanji-style canyon with pacific vegetation forming a great green swatch down below while two huge stone walls jutted up, forming the landmass we were all standing on. The only way across was a metal bridge and I had to admit I was surprised that it wasn't a wooden rope bridge that would have perfectly fit the stereotype of the land around us. But looking over the bridge it was easy for me to see why it had been built, for there were two dueling platforms near the center and projectors that jutted out from the sides like cat whiskers.

"This will be the sight of your final defeat, Edwin Chaos!" Bruno declared. "You and I will duel upon this bridge to determine the fate of Mokuba Kaiba. And your fate as well, for-" 

"Let me guess," I said, cutting the half-pint off. "Every time I lose lifepoints a bit of the bridge will collapse and as such if I hit zero my half will collapse and sending me plunging down to the valley below."

"No… of course not," Bruno said with stuttering laughter.

"Uh huh." Mentally I said, '3…2…1…'

"This valley is a focal point… a weak spot in the barrier between our world and what Pegasus has discovered is the SHADOW REALM!" He giggled, running his fingers over his jaw and mouth. "When you lose you will be plunged into that dark abyss, never to return!"

"And there it is," I muttered.

Bruno began to walk towards the bridge. "So make your goodbyes to Mokuba now because-" He stopped, which didn't surprise me because he must have turned and realized that Mokuba and I were walking away. "Where… where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. This is stupid. Come on Mokuba, let's go have an early lunch."

"What?" Bruno said, startled, his 'I am Damien Meets The Joker' bit cracking slightly. "What do you mean you are leaving?"

"I am leaving. I'm not doing this. Thanks but no thanks. Have a great day."

I continued on, listening with quiet amusement as Bruno began to storm back towards up, actually darting around and jabbing his finger at me. I honestly couldn't help but wonder if he was supposed to have a gun or if he was just an arrogant little brat.

"You can not walk away from me! I've challenged you and-"

"Yes, and I can refuse the challenge. This ain't Pokemon no matter how much you look like a bug catcher." Bruno jabbed me in the stomach with his fingers and I waited a moment before casually pushing him aside. "I'm afraid of heights and I have a little issue with needlessly dying. So while you probably put a ton of work into this… thanks, but no thanks."

"You… you are a coward!" Bruno taunted.

"Yeah, I am. But to quote a wise robot… sometimes… cowards survive." I turned and gave a twirling salute with my fingers, bowing slightly, before returning back onto the path.

"You can't do this!"

"I can and have!" I called back.

"You will duel me!" Bruno roared, rushing and moving to grab Mokuba. But Seto's brother was a slippery one and he easily leapt out of Bruno's grip. "You will face me right now or be eliminated form this tournament!"

"Show me where it says I have to face you on a death trap," I challenged. "I'll wait." Bruno just glowered at me and finally I rolled my eyes. "Listen buster… you want to prove yourself and take me down? We do it on a normal dueling platform. Otherwise I am leaving."

The kid was quiet for several moments but sure enough he let out a bellow of frustration. "FINE! We'll duel on another platform!" He began to rub his hands together as he walked away from us. "I have no need to send you plunging to your death…"

"So… knowing my luck this little idiot is going to be my rival," I muttered to Mokuba.

Mokuba snickered.

Yet another ten minutes went by before we finally made it to another dueling platform. "Here… this will do nicely. Very nicely indeed!" Bruno declared… before throwing back his head and laughing.

I looked at Mokuba and, seeing him looking just as annoyed as I was, began to wonder what it said that the pre-teen was the only sane one besides me on the island. Or that I had the same opinion of someone who didn't even want to look at a boob let alone touch one.

"So what's the catch with this one?" I asked.

"No catch… no catch at all," Bruno said, once more doing that… creepy yet also stupid head-tilt-thing. I got the impression he was trying to make it seem like he was some demented madman.

'No, wait, let's try that again: he is a demented madman he's just very very stupid,' I thought to myself.

"So no catch," I stated as I walked over towards the platform.

"None at all… unless you can't stand the HEAT of battle!"

I promptly turned and walked back to Mokuba. "Fire jets? Did that one with PaniK." I looked at my watch. "So listen want to stop and do brunch, Mokuba? Normally I don't go for that but I seem to have some time on my hands."

"I could snack," Mokuba said with a shrug.

"What are you doing?!" Bruno complained.

"Getting stuck in a comedy bit, apparently!" I called back as me and Mokuba began to unzip my backpack and look for what sounded good to eat.

"Stop making a mockery of dueling!" Bruno complained.

"Stop trying to kill me with death traps you little idgit!" I fired back.

"…fine, I'll take you to yet another platform!" With that Bruno began to march away.

"If this is another death trap platform I'm going to just walk away again!" I called out… and the Eliminator turned and made off in a different direction. "This is going to be a long day," I muttered.


	11. Duelist Kingdom Part 9- Damnit, Jerry

Thankfully the third place Bruno selected wasn't some death trap.

Of course I didn't take his word for it. I didn't trust the little brat in the slightest. I had a feeling, if I were any other duelist on this island, that Bruno would have been a major threat. Someone that would have lead to at least 3 episodes and a ton of dangers. But honestly I was just tired and I wasn't in the mood. So I had zero problem breaking with the rules, calling out his bullshit, and moving on.

Yes, I didn't trust him when he said this platform was safe. There was, however, someone I did trust.

"Pegasus, I know you're watching!" I called out after having gotten done inspecting the dueling platform. It sat on the edge of a grassy area that had recently had some flooding, the waters having risen up to cover the soil and leave only the tall grasses and other vegetation visible. The buzz of insects filled the area and I was more than grateful I'd thought to pack bug spray, having applied it to both myself and Mokuba the moment we'd reached the spot; knowing Bruno he probably bred Shadow Realm bugs whose bites caused you to see ghosts of your past failures. The scent of decaying vegetation and stagnate water was strong, clinging to everything. It took several moments longer than normal for the duel platform to rise and I was willing to bet that no one had used it the day beforehand. Looking overhead I saw clouds beginning to form and knew if this duel took too long we were going to end up soaked. "I want your word that Bruno isn't setting up a trap that will end my life or have me banished to the Shadow Realm!"

There were several moments of quiet before the screen on the dueling platform that would normally show my lifepoints lit up with 4 thumbs up symbols.

"I'll take that as a yes?" I asked.

Another pause and the word 'YES!' appeared on the counter before it ticked to 2000 lp. Also I couldn't help but notice a small clicking noise that was followed by Bruno muttering to himself.

I turned to Bruno and smiled, gesturing towards the platform. "Was that honestly so hard?" The little pipsqueak grumbled and I suddenly began to wonder if Pegasus had decided to lock the slimy bastard out of the platform save for the ability to duel. "Okay, what did you have planned before your boss stepped in?" I asked as I walked to the platform, motioning for Mokuba to follow me.

"Merely something to make the duel more interesting... something to make the blood thunder in our veins and the pressure all the greater!"

"...so poison or a big rock hanging over my head," I stated. "Why am I not surprised. Seriously, kid, how screwed up are you?"

"More than you could possibly imagine!" Bruno said with demented glee. "Watching as hope is snuffed out and strength is leached away is thrilling for me. Has been ever since-"

I cut him off. "Oh dear, I just realized that I don't care."

"But you-" 

"Bored now," I said, only mildly annoyed he made me quote Willow; Spike was a different story. I hopped up onto the platform and right before it rose I grabbed Mokuba and hauled him up beside me. "Stay put, okay?"

"What are you doing?" Bruno demanded as his own platform rose. "This battle is between you and me!"

"And if you think I'm leaving Mokuba on the ground with no one to protect him you are as nuts as you try to portray yourself to be." I took out my deck and began to shuffle it. "Pegasus might have given his word not to take Mokuba but that doesn't mean any of the rest of you will hold yourselves to his word. Especially if you are working for the Big 5. Pegasus has honor... they don't."

"You can't have him up with you!" Bruno complained.

"He's only had one duel and he didn't even know how to play properly. This is a teaching moment for him and he's not going to be helping me. Now either get with the wager or call this off!"

Bruno growled at that before calling out, "Winner take all! All your Star Chips! Including the ones you haven't told anyone about! All nine!"

"No," I said firmly.

"That is the wager!"

"And I refuse. Funny thing, that. You need both parties to agree to a wager." I waited, a slight smirk on my face, until finally Bruno let out a bellow of annoyance. "Seeing things my way? Good. Since Pegasus knows how many I have then we'll play this straight: one star chip, Bruno. That's it. You beat me and you give another Eliminator a chance to take me on. Lose and I have all 10 chips." I jabbed my finger at him. "Are you in or are you out?"

"I'm in," Bruno finally said.

I grinned darkly. "Then it's time to DUEL!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Master Pegasus," Croquet said, walking up behind his employer. Pegasus was seated in his observation room, staring at all the television screens that were currently broadcasting his entire tournament to him. While far fewer screens actually displayed duels, thanks to so many of the competitors having already been eliminated the day and night before, there were still enough to truly make things interest. And like how a fromager patiently waited for the best curds to rise from the whey so too had Pegasus' patience paid off. For while there were less duelists on his islands the caliber of their skill and gamesmanship meant they were worth 20 regular duelists.

"Just look at it, Croquet!" Pegasus said with delight. "While I find joy in watching my precious Duel Monsters being played and loved by the masses what brings me even greater enjoyment is to see the truly skilled competing. It is like a banquet and I can't decide where to start first." He waved his hand towards the screens. "Perhaps with young Rex Raptor? He is trying to redeem himself after his loss to Yugi's friend Joey Wheeler." He paused as on the screen one of Rex's dinos shattered under the assault of Mai Valentine's Harpie Lady Sisters. "But, hemhem, it seems as if those hopes are about to be dashed." He turned his attention to another screen. "And then there is Seto Kaiba." On his screen he was fusing together his Battle Ox with his Mystic Horseman as he took on the Eliminator Congo Cornella and her wild beast deck. "He might try and hide it but I can tell that he is enjoying himself." He took a sip of wine. "Well, as much as he can." To another monitor his gaze fell and his good humor faded some what. "This would be perhaps more interesting if I didn't know who the true puppet master was." On the screen was the dueling platform that had been installed in the caves, with Joey Wheeler struggling to take on Bonz and his horde of zombies. "Bandit Keith," Pegasus said in annoyance. "Such a vile little cheat."

"If you know that he shouldn't be here why do you allow him to remain?" Corquet asked.

Pegasus frowned at that, swirling his drink. "Because whether he realizes it or not I control his fate, Croquet. I can dismiss him at any time, with his stolen glove and borrowed Star Chips." A smile formed on his lips, cutting and sharp, "But I do find it so much more interesting to give such men a glimmer of hope that they might be able to achieve their dreams of revenge before I snuff them out like candles." He waved his hand towards where Kaiba was dueling, now having summoned one of his Blue Eyes. "That is why I've given Kaiba-Boy this chance. Had he been a good little boy and accepted that I was his better than I'd feel no need to toy with him. But he is a bold little mouse, nipping at the cat's whiskers. Mmmm… but he is going to learn that this cat has claws."

His attention moved from Kaiba's duel to another new element that had been added to his tournament. There, giving the wetland dueling platform its first game of the tournament, was Edwin Chaos taking on Bruno Hadrian. It seemed that the blond man had finally gotten over his suspicions of what Bruno might have planned and finally agreed to duel. Of course he was only wagering one Star Chip so even if he lost it wouldn't matter much in the grand scheme of things... honestly he should be focused on Yugi-Boy or Kaiba. But there was just something... different... about Eddie-Boy that made Pegasus want to pay attention only to his duel and forget all about the schemes and plotting he'd been doing.

"Have we found out any more about Edwin, Croquet?" Pegasus asked as Bruno drew his opening hand.

"Grew up in America, in the state of Michigan. Is 22 years old and just graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan. One brother, Joshua Chaos, currently a freshman at the same school. His father, Keith Chaos, is retired. Mother, Ann, passed away from cancer a year ago."

Pegasus rubbed his finger across his bottom lip. "So he understands what it is like to lose someone," he murmured to himself. 'Would he understand then what I wish to do, if I informed him? Would he accept all I am willing to sacrifice to get Cecelia back?' He watched as Bruno placed on card in face down defense mode and ended his turned. 'I considered it with Yugi-Boy but his father died when he was just a babe... he doesn't have the connection to the man that I can influence. But Edwin?'

He pushed those thoughts off as Edwin summoned his Rogue of Endymion, the red assassin twirling his blades before taking on a fighting pose. Edwin then sent Trance the Magical Swordsman to the graveyard so he could bring out of his deck the continuous Spell Card Endymion's Lab. "He certainly enjoys that little combo," Pegasus said more to himself that for Croquet's benefit. "It won the duel for him against my Imposter Kaiba and he used it again against PaniK and Renard." Edwin called out for an attack and his Rogue leapt forward, slashing down the facedown to reveal, of all things, a small tadpole monster. "Oh, now that is interesting... I wonder if Edwin realizes the danger he is in." he took a sip of wine. "So many duelists care only that their monsters are large and terrifying. But the skilled duelist understands that sometimes it is the most innocent looking of creatures that can be the greatest dangers." He smiled as he thought of his own Toon Deck. He'd designed it not merely out of his love for cartoons but because he knew that so many would write off his silly little monsters with their large goggly eyes and huge grins as little threat at all. Which would make it all the sweeter when his monsters utterly destroyed his foes. Humiliation so did spice up the dish.

Bruno set a card on the field before discarding another T.A.D.P.O.L.E. from his hand to the graveyard to special summon his Swap Frog. The yellow and red horned frog appeared, blinking its green eyes as it stared at Edwin while Bruno used its effect to send a Treborn Frog from his deck to the graveyard.

"How clever. He didn't need to special summon his Swap Frog but did so in order to load his graveyard up." Pegasus chuckled. "So many duelists believe that the Graveyard means that a monster is gone forever. But just like the past... sometimes things we believe we have left behind have a way of returning in the most unexpected ways." Bruno called for his Swap Frog to attack and Pegasus set his wine glass down, steepling his fingers together. "With the Field Bonus granting 1200 attack points to Level 2 and lower Aqua Monsters Bruno has more than enough attack points to take down Edwin's Rogue." The red assassin burst apart and Edwin's lifepoints ticked down (Edwin-1300). "It is only the second turn and already Edwin's lifepoints have been reduced by nearly half." Everyone always underestimated Bruno and while his tactics could be extreme (and had been neutered in this case) he did get things done on the battlefield. "Still... that man has proven that he simply can't be counted out."

~MC~MC~MC~

"Oh for Kermit's sake," I muttered as I looked at the field. Now that Bruno had made it clear he was claiming the field bonus the projector had made virtual wetlands appear on the field. The long grass partially hid his monster and I could almost feel the water soaking into my boots. "And I actually like Frog decks."

"I don't get it," Mokuba said as I drew my next card, "how did that tiny frog destroy your Rogue?"

"The field bonus," I said as I looked over my cards. "Normally a duelist needs to play a field spell in order to alter the field and change it to the area they wish to battle on; they do that normally to get a special bonus that helps their monsters. For example, I am looking for a field spell for my deck called The Magical Citadel Of Endymion that helps collect Spell Counters for my monsters. But for this tournament Pegasus decided that certain dueling platforms automatically have a field spell bonus unless action takes place to change the field."

"So that field bonus made that frog really strong?"

Bruno giggled. "Indeed it did! The Wetlands are home to all manner of creatures and if a traveler wanders into them they could quickly find themselves in a sticky situation. Thus what has happened with my Swap Frog... and many of the other frogs that lurk just below the surface of my deck."

"...you wouldn't be related to Mako, would you? I mean, you don't look alike but you never know..." Seeing Bruno just glare at me for not taking him seriously ('You'd think Pegasus would pass the word along that I am fucking flippant as fuck') I instead looked over my hand. "First I'll activate Spell Power Grasp. Not only do I get to add a counter to my Lab but since this is a spell itself Lab gains another Spell Counter." Two orbs of raw magic appeared before, with a flash, they solidified into their crystalline forms. "And I gain a new Power Spell Grasp card from my deck. Next I'll set Defender, The Magical Knight in defense mode and end my turn." My blue warrior appeared, his shield slamming down on the ground. I felt no need to mention that he gained a Spell Counter when he was summoned, which would protect him from an attack. 'Hopefully that will buy me some time to draw the right cards to get rid of that damn frog... and the Wetland field bonus as well.'

"Playing defensive won't do well against me!" Bruno taunted as he drew. "First, my very special Treborn Frog can resurrect himself from the graveyard so long as I don't have a spell card in play." I mentally grumbled over the Field Bonus and how that didn't count as a spell like a normal field spell would. "But he won't be staying there for long! My Swap Frog is able to return one Frog back to my hand so I can summon in his place my Des Frog!" The angelic/demonic born-again frog shattered only for the pieces to reform into a small green frog. It... just looked like a frog. That was it.

"That's all?" Mokuba said, sharing my thoughts. "No horns or spikes or laser eyes?"

"Oh, don't be so quick to knock my froggie!" Bruno said in a childish voice. He snapped his head up and leered. "Because he never plays alone. Because there are two T.A.D.P.O.L.E.s in my graveyard I can summon from my deck two more Des Frogs!" A pair of two green frogs joined the first and the Swap Frog on the field and I fought the urge to go 'Bud...weis...er'. "And because that was a special summon I can still perform a normal summon! Say hello to Submarine Frog!" The newest frog was far more cartoonish than the other 4 on the field, sporting a bubble dome diving helmet, wetsuit, air tanks, and a spear gun.

"Okay, at least that one looks interesting," Mokuba replied before folded his arms over his chest and scoffing. "But only it and Swap Frog gain the field bonus and Edwin has his defender in defense mode to protect his lifepoints!"

Bruno merely pointed at my monster and I let out an annoyed huff as the Submarine Frog dove into the wetlands, swimming around for a moment before bursting out and attacking my monster, shattering it. (Edwin-900)

"What?!" Mokuba declared, shocked. "But your monster-?"

I shook my head. "Submarine Frog does damage when it defeats a defense monster."

"...that is so not fair."

"It completely is," I said calmly but firmly. "You can dislike how an effect goes but that doesn't mean that it's broken."

I was trying to keep things light but honestly I was worried. Looking over my hand I didn't have anything that could take out his monsters and another hit from the Submarine Frog would wipe out the last of my lifepoints. 'For an annoying little shit the kid knows how to duel,' I thought to myself as I began to go over my options. 'He's loaded up his field with monsters so he is planning something...' My eyes kept coming back to the Des Frogs. 'Three of them. They don't get the bonus from the field effect and he's shown he has other monsters that would be better suited for the Wetlands. So why build so much of his deck into summoning them? Unless...hmmm...' A bold, risky plan was fermenting in my brain. If I couldn't pull it off I was done but honestly I was one turn away from getting completely swept by the brat. And while it wouldn't send me out of Duelist Kingdom I did have a problem with Kit CLoudkicker scoring a victory on me. Especially as I had a feeling he would just keep harassing me.

Thus, with little to actually lose and all to gain, I decided to pull an Atem and try and use my opponent to beat himself.

"It honestly doesn't matter what monster I lay on the field," I said with my best taunting voice, a cocky smirk that would have done Loki himself proud forming on my lips as I placed a monster in facedown defense position. "Though this will be strong enough to withstand your frogs for one more turn. And that is all you're going to get, thanks to my Lab and this!" I held out Spell Power Grasp and slapped it onto the platform's reader. "Now two more Spell Counters are added to my lab... and I get another Spell Power Grasp! The one that will charge the Lab fully up with six counters. And when my lab is fully charged I will be able to summon Endymion and begin destroying each and every one of your frogs! Heh, this will be so quick I'm not even going to waste time picking out a song!" I held my arms out wide. "So come on! Get your turn done so I can stomp you and your lilypad munchers flat!"

I watched Bruno carefully, forcing myself to remain prideful and boastful and not give up the ruse. If he attacked my defense monster I was done, losing the duel and the Star Chip and more importantly my pride at letting such a snot nosed brat wipe me out without getting a hit in myself. But... if I had managed to tweak his self-importance just enough...

"You act like I'll let your Lab remain on the field unmolested!" Bruno called out, laying a spell card on the field.

'YES!' I mentally cheered as I saw that my guess had been correct.

"I activate the spell card Des Croaking! When I have three Des Frogs on the field I can have them issue forth a vocal assault that destroys all the cards you control!"

"Oh no!" Mokuba exclaimed in horror. "Your Lab!"

"That's right! Now witness as your Lab, and all those Spell Counters you wasted time gathering, are shattered!" The Des Frogs inflated their throats and chests before letting out long loud bellows that were more like demonic foghorns than the ribbits of swamp dwellers. My Spell Card shuddered before shattering into bits, Bruno cackling the entire time. "And now for your facedown!" The song of death began anew and my defense position card began to shake.

I smirked. A genuine, true smirk.

"If only you had attacked with your Submarine Frog, Bruno... you'd have won the duel. But I knew someone like you wouldn't be able to resist the urge to take me out with a big showy stunt. Too bad your performance has backfired right back on you! Reveal my defense monster: The Old Vindictive Magician!"

The monster, a wizened mage with orangish skin and long white hair that looked like a cross between the Crypt Keeper and every ornery old man meme appeared, glowering at the frogs even as he began to tremble under the assault of the croaking. He grimaced and lowered his head, clutching his staff and muttering to himself before he exploded into hundreds of hologram shards (Edwin-675)

"So what?" Bruno complained. "I still destroyed your monster and your lab!" But as he finished saying that he suddenly stopped dead as he saw the my Magician's staff, though broken, remained on the field. "What… what is going on?" 

"Vindictive. It's in his name." I gave a shrug. "Meaning that when he is destroyed I can take out one of your monsters…like your Submarine Frog. Who also has the Field Attack Bonus, meaning that you take 1200 points of damage!"

"No… no! You can't!" 

"Cry all you like, I can. " I watched as his little frog was reduced to pixels but it was the joy in seeing his lifepoints tumble down-down-down that made me all the happier. (Bruno 800)

~MC~MC~MC~

"Well well well," Pegasus said in surprise. "I must admit, Edwin certainly is doing well. A rough few moments, to be sure, but he is managing quite well against Bruno."

While he kept his tone light and airy, playing off Edwin's move as merely an impressive move in the game, inside worms of doubt were burrowing through his brain.

'First Endymion and now that Vindictive Magician. Edwin keeps finding ways to hammer away at lifepoints without actually needing to declare at attack." He ran his index finger along his lips in thought. 'And I know from his duel with PaniK that he has the spell card Tremendous Fire. I should have banned such cards from my tournament but I assumed all the competitors would be focused on tossing their strongest monsters at each other and seeing who came out on top rather than trying for more subtler methods. This could make any duel against Eddie-boy all the tougher!'

And that was what truly worried Pegasus.

He had studied all the duelists that had come to his island to compete in his tournament and designed his deck to be able to counter each and every one. From the likes of Mai Valentine to Mako Tsunami to Weevil Underwood he knew how they tended to duel and had cards in place that would give more than give him the edge; Toon Vacuum that would suck up all the power-ups Mai used, Toon Mermaid with an equip to take advantage of the Umi bonus, and Toon Exterminator to kill all the bugs. Little Yugi had forced him to become a quick study of his duels when he'd lost the pieces to form Exodia but that was easily managed and he now saw how the boy played. He mixed clever ruses with quick combos that boosted the strength of his monsters in order to ride right over his opponents. Kaiba of course did almost the reverse, making it appear that all he cared about was brute strength when in reality the Blue Eyes White Dragons actually hid the traps he constantly placed on the field for his foes to stumble into while they put all their attention on those dragons.

Pegasus wasn't concerned about either of them. With Kaiba his toons would be enough to manipulate him into the perfect position to end any threat he might pose. 'Honestly any slight against those dragons of his is enough to send him into a tailspin!' Pegasus smirked as he thought about using the power of Toon World to transform a Blue Eyes into a loyal and devious toon that happily betrayed its former master. As for Yugi if he managed to break through the toon monsters then Pegasus' far more sinister monsters would spell the end of him. He could see it clear as day: little Yugi reduced to a trembling wreck when faced with the might of his Relinquished and then his Thousand-Eyes Restrict! 'And even if either of them had a chance against my monsters, which they don't, my Millennium Eye gives me all the advantage I need!'

But Edwin? Edwin Chaos was different. He reminded Pegasus much of himself, using taunts and casual words to drive an opponent to distraction. One only had to look at how Bruno, someone known for sowing anger and then fear into their opponents, had been reduced to exclaiming how unfair Eddie-boy's tactic had been. Bruno didn't even realize that Mr. Chaos was living rent free in his head now and no one was going to evict him.

'He doesn't even see that he still has a massive advantage with all his frog monsters on the field. He can't focus on that.' On the screen Pegasus watched as Edwin activated Pot of Greed, drawing two cards before summoning Breaker the Magical Warrior… who began to charge his sword with magical energy. "Oh?" Pegasus said to himself just before Edwin commanded his knight to attack not the frogs but the Wetlands themselves. "Ah… I was wondering if anyone after Yugi-Boy would think to try and eliminate the Field Attack Bonus." The projection on the field changed from being like the true wetlands around it to a burnt out husk of land filled with cracking dry earth with the only moisture being tiny wisps of steam. It had been a bold and risky move… but it had worked.

And it made Pegasus all the more worried.

'Edwin Chaos doesn't think like any other duelist I've ever encountered. It's like… he's from a completely different world where the rules are nothing like we know them to be.'

The fear lasted only for a moment… and then Pegasus narrowed his remaining eye, lips pressed in a firm line.

'So in order to learn how to defeat him I'll need to dig the secrets out of that mind of his. Even if I have to utterly destroy him to do so!'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Now, I know what you are thinking," I said casually as Breaker spun his sword before bringing it back into the ready position. "No, wait, I take that back. I know what you SHOULD be thinking but frankly with how twisted your little mind is who knows what you are pondering. But what you SHOULD be thinking is that even with the Wetlands destroyed my Breaker is still down some attack points by using the Spell Counter in his sword to destroy the field. Except-" I held up a card, "-I know how to power him right back up! Spell Power Grasp!" I slapped the card down onto my platform. "Not only do I gain another counter to destroy another Spell of yours, until I use it that Counter will power my Breaker's sword, allowing him to easily take out your weakened Swap Frog. And if I am doing my math right… that will eliminate you from this duel! Breaker!" 

My swordsman rushed forward, letting out a bellow as he hacked into the Swap Frog, shattering it easily to bits. But my good mood turned out to be short lived as Bruno's lifepoints did not drop all the way to zero.

"The Wetlands were destroyed this turn but their power wasn't completely dissipated yet. There was still enough to keep my Swap Frog powered up to 1600. That keeps me in this duel and in the perfect position to end you!" (Bruno- 500)

"You Eliminators keep boasting about how you are going to eliminate me, destroy me, end me… but you all keep failing to do so." I looked down at Mokuba. "Have you noticed that?"

"Yeah, it's kind of weird."

"So it's not just me. Good to know-" 

"STOP IGNORING ME!" Bruno roared. Mokuba and I both looked up at him… not because he was actually intimidating but because his shrill little voice was hard to block out. "All… all you do is mock me and belittle me and ignore me! Me! Bruno Hadrian!"

"Yes, you," I said with a roll of my eyes. "And you know why? Because if you are my final opponent before I hit 10 star chips… you are pathetic." I tapped my forehead and flicked my hand into the air to show my annoyance at having to deal with the brat. "I mean, I get it. Life isn't always escalation to bigger and bigger threats. It doesn't: start off with common mooks and work your way up to world ending elder gods."

"It isn't?" Mokuba asked, confused.

"Well, for me it usually isn't," I stated, quietly realizing that in this world what I had described actually DID happen to Yugi and his friends. Fight a few generic foes, move on to the minions of the villain and/or rivals, then take on someone with dark magic or a god in human form. Rinse, repeat, cash the fucking check. "Others, maybe, but I'm not special like that. I just kind of… bounce around from one adventure to the next. Would be fun if things actually followed the classic pattern but hey, if that were the case Bruno here would have come before Fakey and PaniK." I turned to the kid a shrug. "No offense but compared to what I've faced so far you're kind of a step down." I looked at my lifepoints. "I mean, okay, you started out strong, I'll give you that. But I've taken back control and I'm ready to take you out. So make your little speech about how this isn't the end and you are going to destroy me and all that so we can move on to me whoopin' your behind like this is Mama's Family and you're my stupid grandson. Hop to it, Bubba!"

Bruno had been clenching his teeth together during my entire rant and from the way his face was turning purple I figured he was either about to burst a blood vessel or turn into an eggplant. I got the feeling that the brat was used to everyone cowering from him after he pulled his little Damien bit. The weird tilting of the head, the death traps, the mocking helium voice… would have been better if he used something other than frogs though…

'Huh. I wonder if this is this world's literary scene kicking in,' I thought to myself. 'I just dueled PaniK so fiend types are out and Joey is taking on Bonz and it would be weird to have two zombie decks in play. Could do evil spellcasters but I've kinda got the lock on spellcasters with Endymion… feels like Bruno kind of got stuck with frogs because there was no real scary deck left for him to play. In Duelist Kingdom, at least. Now in Battle City-'

"He is really upset," Mokuba said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I looked up and saw that Bruno was still ranting and raving about how no one respected him and no one treated him like an actual duelist and… I began to pity him. I truly did. He was just a kid after all. This wasn't Fakey or PaniK. This was a kid, no older than Mokuba, and it was clear all he really wanted was some attention. For someone to validate him and make him feel important. And as I thought about that I couldn't help but think about how I'd been treating him and a pang of guilt filled my heart. Was it right of me to treat him like crap? To mock him? He was a really good duelist… if I hadn't tricked him with my flip card I'd have lost without scoring a single hit. That was utterly impressive. Maybe… just maybe… he needed someone to help him out. To show him a better way. Plenty of people in this series had been redeemed. Seto nearly killed Yugi's grandpa; Pegasus imprisoned souls but was treated like a friend thanks to filler arcs; Marik was a terrorist but got off without even a slap on the wrist; Duke was a furry and hiding his homosexuality but if he wanted to fuck Joey while he wore a dog suit that was okay with everyone! Maybe Bruno just needed a friend. Maybe Tea was right and with some caring and attention Bruno could be better. And maybe I was the sort of man-

"When I defeat you I am going to bring Mokuba to Pegasus!" Bruno screamed, his rage, somehow, someway… breaking the censor. "But just his head… I'll leave you the rest of the boy! But Pegasus might need more proof… so after I beat you I'll paralyze you and make you watch as I skin him alive. Slow and careful, make it last. If he needs Mokuba I can be him… I'll just wear him like a suit while you keep the innards!"

'No, fuck it,' I thought in disgust, reaching down and gripping Mokuba's shoulder as Bruno continued to describe all he'd do to the boy.

I'd been quoting the Doctor a lot, which made sense. After all I was in a strange world, had found myself in a new and younger body, and held knowledge that my companions didn't have. And one quote was now bubbling up into my brain, a perfect one to sum up my thoughts on Bruno after I'd actually begun to feel sorry for the little monster.

'No second chances. I'm that sort of man.'

"Draw," I said coldly, cutting Bruno off.

"What, are you getting annoyed by what I'm telling you?" the brat asked, tilting his head again and leering at me. "Because it's the truth-"

"Draw," I repeated.

"No jokes? No songs?"

"no, not this time," I said with ice in my veins. "You don't get my rage. You've gone beyond that, a rare treat." I glared at him but did not tremble or move. Everything about me was stillness. I'd felt this only a few times, when my fuse had been allowed to burn and rather than explode the fires imploded in my heart and everything reversed. I always wore my heart on my sleeve, everyone knew that. And the few that had seen me go ice cold, locking my emotions completely away… knew to run very, very fast.

I could feel Mokuba staring at me, feeling him trying to pull away in fright. He was scared on me. I knew it.

I'd worry about that later.

"Draw."

Bruno took me in for a moment, rallied, and put on a smile. I didn't know if it was fake or if he was just stupid. I honestly didn't care. All of reality had become condensed to just me staring at him. "You should have gone after my Des Frogs, Chaos! Now I am going to make you pay for your mistake. I activate Polymerization, fusing my three Des Frogs-" there was a swirl of light as the three frogs were pulled into a glowing orb that began to swell into a massive shape nearly as big as the Blue Eyes White Dragon. "-into the D3S Frog!"

The creature that finally formed was an ugly beast. Monstrously large not merely in size but girth. A fat, bloated thing with warts on its back that looked ready to burst and spike-like growths on its limbs. It had the squat stance of a morbidly obese creature but also held its head like a king that believed itself to be the most noble in the land. A long, thin… for lack of a better term 'moustache'… grew from the corners of its upper lip and its violet eyes were glassy and lifeless yet also disturbing in how much they clearly detected.

I didn't even react.

"Next turn… will be your last!" Bruno promised. "When my D3S Frog attacks he will crush any monster you lay on the field and end any hope you had of defeating me!" He let out a manic giggle at the thought.

I drew my next card.

"Monster Reborn," I said with little emotion, the mantra of 'kill kill kill kill kill' running through my brain even as my emotional sector tried desperately to reboot itself. "Resurrect Trance the Magic Swordsman." The monster I had discarded my first turn appeared, a powerful evolution of Neo the Magic Swordsman formed on the field with his sword in hand, a grin on his face, and magic swirling around his fingers. "Attack the big one."

Trance, not needing to be told twice rushed forward. But rather than seeing Bruno's frog shatter I instead got to watch Trance slam to the ground hard. It was only then that I noticed that Bruno had set a card face down on the field while I was focused on his giant frog.

"Gravity Bind!" Bruno taunted. "This trap card prevents all Level 4 and higher monsters from attacking! Doing so slams them right down to earth, the weight of their own strength working against them!" He giggled that deranged little giggle of his as Trance struggled to rise only to slam right back down again.

"Oh, that isn't good at all!" Mokuba exclaimed. "There is no way you can destroy that giant frog with a Level 3 or lower monster!"

"Right," I said, slowly allowing my emotions to leech back into my body as I shifted Breaker to defense mode. I was still running on robotic nature but I was coming back to myself. And with that my mind began to cycle through things, begin processing ideas once more as I left the single-minded focus of killing the brat that had threatened Mokuba. And something was occurring to me that Bruno had missed.

"Now, you might falsely believe that your Trance is enough to protect you from my D3S Frog. But you are WRONG! Because this frog, the lord of ALL frogs, gains strength from the fallen! Behold! I activate Foolish Burial to send the Treborn Frog I returned to my hand to the graveyard. And with it there my D3S Frog increases to 3000! And then I summon a Swap Frog to the field allowing me to send another Treborn Frog from my deck to the graveyard, increasing my D3S Frog to 3500!" Around the bloated froggy the ghostly spirits of the two Treborn Frogs appeared, serving their master and granting him greater strength. "And with the Spell Card Quick Attack my D3S Frog doesn't have to wait a turn to attack! He can do so right now and wipe out your Trance!"

The massive frog shifted his bulk, wiggling a bit before launching himself into the air-

-and striking his head on a dome of blue energy.

"So focused on defeating me, Bruno, that you missed what was right in front of you!" I taunted as my emotions burst back in all their wondrous fury. Mirth. Deviousness. Justice painted with Rage. "Your Gravity Bind trap is still in play, meaning that D3S Frog is in the same situation as my Trance! A large warty beast, to be sure, but utterly useless!" I gave a slight shrug. "As a wise man once said… you should be more mindful of your surroundings."

"Then I'll simply need to eliminate the Gravity Bind!" Bruno declared. "It served its purpose but is no longer needed! I activate Mystical Froggy Typhoon!"

And all my rage died and was reborn as utter bafflement as Bruno activated the spell card, which depicted a frog clinging to a branch in the middle of the Mystical Space Typhoon.

"Huh," Mokuba said, tilting his head, pretty much summing it up for the both of us.

"Not sure what you feel? I have a guess: terror. Fear." Bruno said

"Well, those are emotions…" I admitted.

"This card allows me to send one Aqua Monster from my deck to the graveyard to instantly destroy one card of the field. And I choose my own Gravity Bind!" I reached down onto my dueling platform as Bruno laughed. "And as I send a final Treborn Frog to the graveyard not only do I remove the obstacle in front of me but power up my D3S Frog to 4000 attack points! YOU! ARE! DONE!"

The frog leapt…

…and hit his head again.

I shrugged. "Not if I sacrifice Breaker's Spell Counter to destroy your Mystical-" I made a face and forced myself to finish, "-Froggy Typhoon." Breaker tossed his sword at the MFT and I swore he did so with a roll of his eyes and a scoff, just as annoyed and offput as I was by Bruno's card. 'It isn't even a pun. Sounds like… something I'd come up with after failing to think of a better name.' Still, it was destroyed rather quickly and I decided to push all thoughts of it out of my mind. "And now I believe it is my turn." I drew my card.

My shoulders slumped.

A groan escaped my lips.

"Bruno?" I asked weakly, suddenly longing for Froggy Typhoon again.

"What?" the boy snapped.

"Please… please surrender."

He blinked at that before bursting into high pitched laughter that made Weevil sound like James Earl Jones.

"Are you begging?" Bruno asked.

"Yes," I admitted weakly. "I am begging you. Please, pretty please, surrender."

"Edwin!" Mokuba exclaimed. "What are you-"

I showed him what I'd just drawn from my Uncle's deck.

Mokuba stared at it, then me, then back at the card.

"…please give up Bruno," Mokuba said. "I really don't want Edwin to win that way."

"Win? You still think you can win? Next turn I'll simply find another way to destroy the Gravity Bind and crush your monsters! Your Trance won't stand a chance!"

I shut my eyes in let out a weary sigh. "Okay. You asked for it." My tone was utterly bland. "Pegasus, if you are watching… I hope you at least get a giggle out of this." I set the card on the reader. "I summon… aw geez… Jerry. Beans. Man."

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

Pegasus stared at the screen, watching as the tiny cartoon bean warrior appeared on the field.

"Oh… oh my," Pegasus said.

"Well… I didn't expect that…" Croquet said before realizing he'd spoken out of turn. "My apologizes-"

"No no, quite alright," Pegasus said, still staring at the screen. It was like watching two monkeys play Chicken with Porsches. You knew it was going to be horrible yet one couldn't turn away. "That… oh poor poor Eddie-Boy."

~MC~MC~MC~

I could only stare with slumped shoulders as Jerry Beans did a happily little dance, giggling and waving his sword around. 'Damn it Jerry,' I thought before looking at Bruno in disgust. "I hope you realize this is all your fault."

"What… are you talking about?" Bruno demanded. "That… thing can't hurt my D3S Frog! All you've done is embarrass yourself."

"He can't," I said in a dry voice. "But the Swap Frog you left in Attack Mode? He can. Jerry… just…" I gave a weak wave of my hand. "Just end it." I didn't even bother to watch the Bean destroy the frog, instead choosing the pack up my deck and lock it back up before the platform began to lower. "I win… woooo." I spun my finger around in the air. (Bruno-0000)

"I've decided I don't want to make a deck based around Jerry Beans Man," Mokuba said, pulling a face.

"If you did I think Seto and I would both disown you," I muttered before flashing him a weak smirk. "Come on, let's collect my Star-" I blinked as I saw Bruno pointing a finger at me. "-Chip. Huh." Seemed like the censor had woken up after Bruno had threatened to kill and skin Mokuba. Nice of him to get off his ass and actually do his job. Mokuba, for his part, did hide behind me as Bruno took a step forward. "Well well well.. I suppose the promise of not harming us only pertained to the duel and not afterwards?"

"Exactly," Bruno said. "But only if you resist. See… you fell right into my trap! Now that you have 10 Star Chips-" he threw one at me which I caught, "you have to come to the castle. Putting Mokuba back under Pegasus' control."

"Except I don't. Nothing in the rules say I HAVE to go to the castle. Only if I get 10 Star Chips I should go to the castle in order to be one of the first 5 duelists to arrive. So if I postpone long enough it won't matter anyway." 

"Except you'll be out of the tournament and Pegasus can send every goon he has after you and the boy."

That was true and I hadn't actually come up with a plan on how to deal with that. And I needed to begin thinking because I knew Yugi and Kaiba would begin dueling as the sun was beginning to set and Mai and Tea would have their duel just as the sun was dropping past the horizon. And there was no way I was bringing Mokuba anywhere close to Pegasus' castle. So far all I had was 'hide hide hide' until Yugi defeated Pegasus but that meant 2 to 3 days of being on the run. Worse, it also meant that on the 2nd day I needed to get near the castle, as I didn't want to risk being left behind when everyone shipped off.

"So," Bruno said, gesturing at me with his crooked finger. "Why don't you cut out the middle man and-"

He never finished.

Mostly because he got a funny look on his face and fell over into the wet long gross, a goose egg rising from his noggin as Renard lowered the tree branch he'd swung at the punk's head.

"I believe I have a way around that, Mr. Chaos."

"…how did I not see you sneaking up on him?!" I complained.

~MC~MC~MC~

Mokuba stood next to Edwin and Renard as they came to the pier, glancing around nervously to make sure that none of Pegasus' goons were around. Renard said they were safe, that he had a small jammer that allowed him to kill the camera feed and keep Pegasus blind for a half an hour. Mokuba just hoped he was right.

Not that he didn't trust the Eliminator… he'd taken a liking to Renard right away, as the man seemed like the kind of person you would want as an Eliminator. A tough duelist, yes, but when he wasn't facing off against a foe he was kind and polite and honorable. Yes, honor. That was the perfect word for Renard Volpe. Mokuba could tell that Edwin liked the man too.

"There she is," Renard, waving his hand towards the small yacht that was sitting anchored right off the edge of the pier. "The Sea Fox."

"I am in the wrong business," Edwin commented, glancing at Renard. "How much do you make as a professional duelist?"

"More than enough."

"To have that money," Edwin muttered.

"My brother gave you 3 million dollars, remember?" Mokuba reminded him, Edwin's eyes widening as he patted his deck box that had the check inside.

"Right," Edwin stated. "Alright Renard… I think I get the plan: we take your boat and get the heck off this island."

"Exactly," the Eliminator said. "I have informed Pegasus that I am done and I am leaving. We all get on the boat and get away from here. Inform the police of what Pegasus was doing and how he tried to hold Mr. Mokuba and nearly got you killed thanks to that vile filth PaniK." 

"Oh, I can save you time there," Edwin said with a smirk. "I let my uncle know yesterday evening all about this tournament. If we are lucky the police are already in contact with government officials to come and help." He bobbed his head back and forth. "Still, I won't say no to some insurance. So let's get the heck off this island. "

Mokuba though shook his head violently. "We can't go! Seto is still going to the castle! We have to get him!"

Edwin grimaced at that. "Mokuba, I already told him to leave once and he didn't listen. He's not going to listen now. He wants to take on Pegasus. The best thing we can do is get you someplace safe."

"And I'm not going to leave him all by himself!" He knew he was acting like a brat. He knew that Seto would be very upset when he found out Mokuba hadn't done as they'd planned and kept himself safe. But it didn't matter. That was his brother and he was going to help him! Seto had never abandoned him and he wasn't going to abandon him either.

Edwin turned back towards the island, jaw working before he finally said, "You and Renard need to get on that boat." Mokuba opened his mouth but Edwin continued on. "I'll go back up Seto."

"You… you will?" Mokuba asked.

"I have 10 Star Chips. If I hurry I can get into the castle. I might not be able to compete but I can help your brother out. Keep Pegasus off balance. Worst case… if he fails-"

"He won't," Mokuba said stubbornly.

"-if he fails I will be there to take his place." He turned back around and knelt down so he was eye level with Mokuba, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "But you have to promise you will stay with Renard."

"I… I will."

Edwin nodded before rising and looking at the former Eliminator. "I'm putting all my trust in you." 

"I will prove it hasn't been in vain. There haven't been many you could trust on this island… I will be the first."

"I appreciate that," Edwin admitted. "Get to Domino and contact Chaos Communications. Mokuba will be your proof I sent you. Tell my uncle he needs to keep you both locked up tight, just in case the Big 5 come after you. Better yet…" Edwin pulled out a notebook from his suitcase and jotted down a number. "Call him before you get to shore and have him send his own security forces to help you."

"You think it will be that bad?"

"I think you and I stumbled into A Song of Ice and Fire," Edwin growled. "So yeah, that bad."

Renard took the phone number before clasping hands with Edwin in the Spartan style. "We will meet each other again, Edwin Chaos. And when we do I wish to speak with you concerning important matters. Concerning my dream."

"Till then," Edwin said before reaching down and squeezing Mokuba's shoulder. "You listen to Renard, you do as he says." Mokuba nodded and gave Edwin and quick hug, Edwin patting him on the back. "I'll be back with Seto as soon as I can."

"I know," Mokuba whispered. He released Edwin only for the older man to take off his Tiger's cap and plop it on his head.

"I will be coming for that soon," he said with a smile smirk.

Renard gently led Mokuba towards the boat. And 10 minutes later, as they finally hauled anchor and began to pull away from the island, Mokuba still watched as Edwin Chaos stood on the pier, a silent sentinel seeing them off.

~MC~MC~MC~

"Good luck guys," I muttered as the boat disappeared from view.

"They will be fine."

I wiped around only to find myself held in place, limbs unable to move.

"But now that they are gone I must see who you, the man that has inserted himself into the business of the Dark One and the Pharaoh, truly are."

"Shadi," I said in shock just as the mysterious bastard lifted up the Millennium Key and pressed it to my forehead.


	12. Duelist Kingdom Part 10- The Citadel

The Tomb Keepers had failed.

Shadi understood this well. The fact that he was dead was proof of that.

When Pharaoh Set had taken the throne he had commanded that the Millennium Items be sealed away and protected until such time as the Nameless Pharaoh returned. Though his predecessor desired to keep the Dark God Zorc forever locked away Set had held that evil could only be defeated, not contained, and thus one day the Pharaoh would return along with Zorc and it would take the power of the Millennium Items to aid the Nameless Pharaoh in this quest. To ensure that the sacred relics were protected the Pharaoh had declared that four families, servants of the Pharaoh, would be tasked with protecting the Millennium Items. The number was important, for four was the number of stability, justice, order, and mankind itself. To supplement these four families the Pharaoh had declared that ten lesser families would serve the four, aiding them, offering them daughters to continue their lines, and guarding them at the cost of their own lives.

To each of the four families had been given two of the sacred Millennium Items. The Clan of the Crocodile, Ishtar, scholars and most learned, were given the Millennium Rod and Necklace. The Clan of the Jackel, Shara, most noble and law-abiding of the families, were given the dark task of protecting the Eye and the Ring. Shadi's own clan, the Clan of the Serpent, the most loyal, known as the House of Hadad, was given the Scales and Key. And the Clan of the Lion, most honorable, Teshub, were given the Pendant and the Stone. They were commanded to hide the items away, to wait until the time that the Nameless Pharaoh's new honored servants would arise, and to teach them how to properly use the items and serve their Pharaoh in the final battle.

They failed nearly as soon as they were formed.

The Teshub were deceived by the False Pharaoh, the blasphemous 'Anubis', also known as Inpu, who claimed to be the son of the Nameless Pharaoh and had nearly destroyed the kingdom a second time until Pharaoh Set had sealed him away in his own False Item, the Pyramid of Light, with the power of the Quantum Cube, the Millennium Item That Never Was. They had fought for the False One, with their Head stealing the Pendant and hiding it away so that none could ever find it and nearly destroyed the Millennium Stone from which the items had first been forged, before he was stopped and slain. Though those that survived sought to redeem themselves for their error in the end they were never trusted by the other three great families or the ten lesser ones and they faded from memory. The task of protecting the Stone fell to the remaining three families.

For a thousand years things would settle into a quiet peace but this was merely an artificial dawn. Seven of the minor families rose up in revolt, attempting to seize power for themselves. The remaining three stood with the three great families. For nearly 100 years in the hidden tombs and under the desert night sky the Silent Wars were fought. In the end only the Clan of the Crocodile and the Clan of the Serpent survived with two of the minor houses surviving. But they were weakened greatly, with strong men having died and weak sons taking their place. Bloodlines were forced to intermingle and with it madness came. The Eye and the Ring were briefly lost and found and lost again as the two tainted items sought bearers. The strength and size of the Tomb Keepers dwindled. The keepers longed to become masters of the items and thus new battles were fought and the remaining clans hide themselves away from their brothers in honor and duty. Where once they had numbered 1000 by the coming of the 21st century their numbers could be easily counted on two hands.

And Zorc was awakening.

The Clan of the Crocodile fell into civil war, with Ishizu claiming the Millennium Necklace and her brother Marik the Millennium Rod. It was only Ishizu's quick thinking that saw her brother thwarted in his desire to claim the Eye as well, giving it to Shadi to protect. It was a noble and righteous act but it only showed to Shadi how far they had fallen. The Clan of the Crocodile had been reduced to two, brother and sister who warred against each other. And the Clan of the Serpent was now only him. The minor houses were gone. The Millennium Items guarded by one as the remaining two warred against each other. Shadi did all he could to protect the relics. Sometimes he succeeded; he found the Quantum Cube and added it to his growing collection. Sometimes he failed; he found the tomb where the Millennium Pendant had been hidden, called now the Puzzle by those not knowing the truth of it, but it had been emptied. And the dreaded Pyramid of Light was no where to be found.

Thus, in despair and desperation… Shadi made two grave mistakes.

The first had been selecting Maxamillion Pegasus to bear the Millennium Eye. He had thought that the man would be a strong bearer, one who merely wanted to bring joy to the world. But grief had darkened his soul and now he used the Eye for his own selfish desires. And the Ring… the Ring.

Shadi could still feel the agony of his death.

Counting himself all the items now had bearers. But they were far from perfect with only Ishizu coming closest to having proven herself worthy to hold the Necklace. Ryou Bakura simply was too passive of a soul to fight against the Spirit of the Ring. Marik Ishtar used the Rod as a weapon to assemble an army to battle the returned Pharaoh. Pegasus was too single minded and selfish. And no single person should bear two items yet Shadi found himself using the Key and the Scales because there was none worthier to carry them. And he was dead, meaning that he didn't truly bear them but used the power of the Scales to keep his spirit on Earth until the great battle was done.

And the boy, Yugi Moto, held the Puzzle.

Shadi knew he needed to test the boy, to weight the evil in his heart against the good and confirm that he could lead the Nameless Pharaoh upon the correct path to be the hero he truly was. But then he had encountered the convergence. The Chaos Lord. The one Pegasus called in his heart The Guardian Devil.

He knew that he had to peer into the mind of the man that had decided to interfere with the matters of the Tomb Keepers and discover what his desires were.

When he'd placed the Key against Edwin Chaos' head he'd been ready to explore his mindscape. It was something Shadi had done many times in the past, to learn about those around him and determine if they were worthy of aid… or in need of punishment. The mind took so many different forms and thus Shadi had been prepared for anything. With Pegasus the man's mind had been like an art gallery, filled with moving paintings that showed not merely his past but his dreams and desires. With Ishizu she ordered her mind like a tomb, each chamber a different point in her life; the more painful or dangerous the greater the defenses. Using the Millennium Key he had modeled his own mindscape to be filled with locked doors, some real, some fake, some filled with deadly traps for anyone that attempted to enter without his guidance.

But within Edwin Chaos' mind he found… darkness.

Endless darkness.

'This makes no sense,' Shadi thought to himself. 'His mind, it is as if it is a blank spot. Nothing at all. Only one far more powerful in the mind arts could hide like this from my gaze! How can this be?'

"Because it isn't his mind, Tomb Keeper," a feminine voice stated, causing Shadi to whip about seeking the source. For what was both seconds and thousands of years he found nothing, then he saw something flash in the corner of his eye and when he turned he saw a great crescent moon hanging in the darkness… and a woman sat within the curve, watching him. Her long golden hair fell like a waterfall against her back and her silver robes at once hid and revealed all about her form. She was looking at him with cold pale eyes and her smile was like a single star on the coldest and darkest night of the year, a single bare foot lazily swing back and forth. "It's mine."

Shadi swallowed, startled at what… and who… he'd stumbled upon.

"Selene," he whispered.

"So you know me, Tomb Keeper?" she asked.

"I do, Moon."

The Greek Titan Goddess of the Moon smiled at that but while she was pleased there was nothing joyful about her expression. She slid down from her perch like mercury, floating to the ground Shadi stood on. She towered over him, four times his size, but he knew that if she wished she could be so much larger. She leaned down close, a single finger pressed to her lips as she took him in.

"Why have you violated the mind of my love?" she demanded.

THAT made Shadi start. "Your love…" He swallowed. "Then he is E-"

"He is," Selene stated. "My love returned. From beyond death and beyond the veils of the world. I have done much to return him here-" Suddenly her face was so close to his that his eyes burned and watered from the light that glowed from her skin. "-and I do not appreciate the dead attempting to muddle through his mind."

Shadi took a slow, measured step back and bowed his head. It was the only safe thing to do. Even if Selene was not a Goddess of his people she was a Goddess all the same. A Titan Goddess. An Old One. Honor must be shown. "I apologize. Edwin Chaos had inserted himself into the battle between the Nameless Pharaoh-"

"You mean my sister Holactie and my brother, Zorc," Selene said, brokering no argument. "Though I understand that the true battle will be between Holactie's chosen one, the Nameless Pharaoh, and Zorc's patchwork Spirit of the Ring."

Shadi nodded. "And Edwin Chaos is your chosen one?" He made sure to keep his tone even more humble than normal, for it is only wise when facing a Goddess to be as polite as possible. Especially when he had intruded on one under her protection. And most of all if Edwin Chaos held the soul of who Shadi believed…

"He is far more than that. He is my love. But…" she considered him for a moment before nodding her head. "You may classify him as my chosen one for now. Until he takes his place beside me once again as my consort."

"I understand. I merely wished to see who he was, and what he is like, so that I might know if he were a danger to my Pharaoh. But I will not force the issue."

"No, you will not," Selene said… before suddenly letting out a tinkle of laughter that was like wind chimes. "Well… this is very interesting." She waved her hand and a door appeared before Shadi. "My Edwin is apparently curious what lies in his mind and how it would appear to you. I will allow you to continue your quest."

"He told you this?"

The Goddess though shook her head. "His soul is open to me, as is his mind, but he did not say so out loud. He does not know of my existence yet, Tomb Keeper. No in this form, at least. You would be wise not to speak of me to him."

"Of course," Shadi said politely, keeping his eyes on the ground. There was a flare of light and then Selene was gone.

Shadi, taking a breath to steady himself… walked to the door and stepped through it.

Entering into what he now knew was Edwin's actual mind put him on more solid footing. The mindscape was far more formed and developed than the darkness of Selene's. Not that he thought the goddess had a weaker mind… the opposite. Her mind was so complex he simply couldn't comprehend it so his vision was merely of darkness.

Edwin Chaos' mind was at once nothing like his name would suggest and everything like it at the same time; the perfect blend of the impossible. The structure itself took the form of a massive ornate library, created by an eccentric madman. A tower as wide as a stadium that seemed to reach to the heavens with staircases that snaked about the rows and rows of books. Deep dark oaks mixed with white ivory and gold. Tomes of countless colors filled every shelf, begging to be opened. A large elevator sat near the back center of the library, the glass doors shut tight but ready to open for their master. The bottom floor was sunk down into the ground with a walkway ringing it and there were well worn and well loved tables in the pit waiting for eager readers to come and sit upon them. Great bay windows sat at the back of the library, each displaying a different landscape during a different season. A white winter night, utterly peaceful and beautiful. A bright spring day that saw rain all the same, wondrous in its dichotomy. A beach where in the distant waves great beasts of legend rose up from the depths. A city filled with angels and demons that went about their lives without a care, the hideous and the beautiful walking hand in hand. Looking around he saw that the library was filled with different sections, some bright and inviting, others filled with darkness and wisp-like phantoms that spoke of pain and suffering. And it wasn't merely one section that was like that, but rather many different ones, littered all around him and rising above him, spotting the mindscape with darkness and light. All around him played a gentle quiet tune that Shadi couldn't quite place, filled with brass that built stronger and stronger, proving the magnitude of the mindscape before him.

And then, the moment he thought it he saw words appear before him: A JOURNEY IN THE DARK.

"The title of the song, though not fitting," Edwin Chaos said, appearing beside Shadi. Rather than wearing the jeans and gray shirt Shadi had found him in Edwin was dressed in black slacks and a matching jacket, a pale mute green dress shirt without a tie that had the top few buttons undone to reveal a matching undershirt, and perfectly shined black shoes. He was older, in his thirties, with a thick circle beard around his mouth. Over all of this was a long thin black jacket that brushed his ankles. Just as the mindscape represented his mind this version of the man was his vision of power, confidence, and control. "I prefer 'The City of Dwarrowdelf" myself." The moment he said the words the music reached its peak, drums and strings joining with the horns to welcome Shadi to Edwin's mind. "Welcome… to The Citadel."

"You aren't surprised to see me," Shadi stated.

"I'm not. Well, I was when you pressed the key to my head, wasn't honestly expecting that, but the moment you did I knew what was going to happen."

"And how did you know what the Millennium Key would do?"

"The same way I know that Zorc killed you and you are now a ghost driven to aid the Pharaoh. The same way I know the Nameless Pharaoh's name." He held up a hand before Shadi could cry out. "I won't say it. Even here. I understand that it is the seal that binds Zorc and only in the right hands can it also be used to banish him from our realm. Even you remembering it is dangerous… I am taking a risk holding onto the name myself but I'll be careful."

"H-how?"

"Because I'm not of this world, Shadi," Edwin admitted. "I am from another plane of existence, one where your life… it is a story." He motioned for Shadi to follow him and they made their way towards the stairs on the right side of the library. Edwin stepped on them and the moment Shadi did the world seemed to roll and sway around them so that only a few short steps saw them hundreds of feet in the air, headed to a section called 'Yu-Gi-Oh!', the kanji behind the words forming the phrase 'King Of Games'. "I'm not bothering to hide things from you because I know you can be trusted. You are a good man Shadi and I'm sorry that my arrival here couldn't save your life." The sadness in the man's voice was so thick it was nearly visible. "This is how I know all I do." He gestured for Shadi to walk forward and as he did so he heard the music suddenly change to a strange, darkly magically song. "You'll forgive me if they aren't as fancy as they could be… I watched the dub, didn't get into the original manga."

Shadi reached out and selected a book from the shelf at random, opening it up to reveal a moving image of Yugi Moto, the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle, battling against Marik Ishtar. Only… only there was something wrong with Marik. He looked fouler that he normally did. Twisted and corrupted, if that was possible. And he was wielding-

"The Winged Dragon of Ra," SHadi said in shock.

"Yeah, that's a thing," Edwin admitted with a sigh. "Honestly they annoy the hell out of me because everything devolves for a while into 'Summon the God Cards as quick as you can!' But hey, what do I know?"

Shadi continued to look at the books, though he didn't actually comprehend what he was saying. Rather he used it as a way to hide his face from Edwin, so that he might not risk the horror he was slowly feeling. 'I was concerned about what this man might be when it was merely being around the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle. The Dark God Zorc remains trapped within the Puzzle and I fear that his interaction with the boy could unleash the dark one upon the world… if it hasn't already. But to know that he is from another world, brought here by another God, and he has the forbidden knowledge? I must ensure that he is on the side of light and not darkness. I must comb his mind and determine if he is a threat.' Shadi swallowed. 'And if I have the strength to strike down a dark one who is championed by a God.'

"So, is this the part where you explore my mind to determine what kind of person I might be?" Edwin asked.

"Yes," Shadi said, seeing no reason to hide the truth.

"So do you want to wander around or do you just want me to show you each section of my mind?" Edwin gave a small shrug. "Doesn't matter to me… to be honest I don't know what you are going to find other than my greatest despair and my greatest regret, since those two are linked." He paused. "It might be best if I actually took you to them… I imagine my mental defenses will activate without me even realizing it and those two are the most powerful."

Before Shadi could even answer a bridge formed from the section of the library they were standing on and to one covered in darkness, an isolated rain storm pounding down on the shelves that lined that section of the citadel. Edwin was already moving that way and Shadi followed him, curious what Edwin would show him. To understand regret and despair were grand achievements, as there were many in the world that would refuse to face their mistakes and their most bitter moments. The path they took was well worn, meaning that Edwin had visited these moments often.

As they crossed the elevated bridge the music changed.

"_I… I wish I could swim," _a soft, sad voice sang, voice wavering with heartbreak._ "Like dolphins… like dolphins can swim. "  
_

Edwin let out a quiet sigh and gestured towards the books, one flying out into Shadi's hands. Opening it he found the image of Edwin… on a phone by an elevator.

"Confused?" Edwin asked softly, eyes shut. "Second time my mom had to go to the hospital. I didn't realize at the time that the bone marrow transplant… her body was rejecting it. She fell asleep during the visit and my dad said I could go."

"_Though nothing, nothing will keep us together. We can beat them, for ever and ever."_

"But when I got down to the lobby he called. She was awake and he said if I wanted to come up and let her know I was leaving I could. I said that was fine, said goodbye on the phone. That… that was the last chance I could have had to talk to her, person to person, before she died. She slipped into a coma right after that and I never got to talk to her again. Never got to hear her voice. Tell her so much I wish I had… I wish-" Tears managed to leak from his eyes despite how hard he was clenching his eyelids shut. "Which leads to the worst moment of my life." 

The music continued as a new book replaced the one in Shadi's hands.

"_And we could be heroes… just for one day."_

"The death of my mother."

"_Oh we could be heroes… just for one day."_

Shadi did not open the book. Instead he quietly placed it back on the shelf and turned to Edwin. "I will not force you to relive that moment."

"Thank you."

"But I do wish to explore your mind, all the same." 

"Go ahead," he said, his voice gasping and trembling. "The Citadel will protect my mind though… if I'm not guiding you I won't let you get through easily my mind." With that he walked down the bridge, clearly still shaken. "See me on the ground floor when you're done."

What followed was the strangest stroll through a mind that Shadi have ever experienced. And he couldn't help but wonder if it was because Edwin was from another world… or if his mind merely functioned differently from everyone else. Perhaps both. Were all people in Edwin's world like him, with such strange mindscapes? Or was he the only one, a rare creature of his world, all alone in how he functioned and thought? It didn't matter. All the mattered was for the next hour Shadi went from walking through the strange citadel looking about the fantastic worlds that lived in the man's brain… to fleeing for his life.

The section for his rage had only offered him glimpses of his fury before blades forged from the darkest depths of Tartarus rocketed out of the crackling miasma that filled that part of the library, a deep bellowing voice raging at the gods as Shadi flung himself over the railing and landed on a bridge just in time.

Joy had been a safer route and one that spoke of the man that had the Goddess of the Moon as his patron. The thing that brought him the greatest pleasure was when he created something that was loved by others. He saw countless stories with raving reviews and could almost feel the excitement and happiness Edwin had felt in those moments warming his skin like the rays of a summer sun. It was nearly child-like in its excitement.

Fear brought him nearly falling from the tower while attacked by all manner of strange creatures that had no name or true form, for they constantly shifted and mutated. But as he had pushed past it he had found that at the core of it all was Edwin as an old man, lying in an hospital bed… and then only a question mark as he took his last breath. Despite feeling within his bones that this was the mindscape of a religious man, who held the faith that only came from a deep connection with Heaven and the Lord of Christian belief… he still feared Death and the question of what truly happened when it was his time to die.

Lust… Shadi would not dwell on that. The man had a broad palette when it came to such things, from the gentle to the wild. A deep, chiding voice called out to him as he left, "It's wondrous...with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid."

And through it all he encountered guardians that protected the mind. Delving into Edwin's emotions brought forth alien figures that glowed in the colors of the rainbow and created constructs out of colorful light, from noble men in green to red beasts of rage to a man in yellow who whispered that Shadi didn't understand fear. Edwin's memories sprung to life every time Shadi glanced at them, creating warriors from medieval times battling dragons and beings of ice, of heroes fighting to redeem their parents with beams of light, of metal warriors that wanted to protect their home from their robotic brethren. He saw the dinosaurs of the past chasing down flying machines from the far future and nebulous shapes that could become fully formed heroes or be forgotten with the blink of an eye.

"The Could-Have-Been King and his army of Meanwhiles and Never-Weres." That phrase was declared as he leapt away from one such force.

It was all there… and suddenly it wasn't. Suddenly Shadi was standing in front of Edwin again, the man rising from his chair and regarding him with casual interest.

"Find what you were looking for?"

"I did."

When he returned to the true world Shadi found Edwin Chaos glowered at him in annoyance. "You could have just asked, you know?" He rubbed his forehead like he expected there to be an injury.

The Tomb Keeper merely stared him right down, betraying nothing. "How was I to know that you would allow me into your mind? After all, your thoughts are the most secure items in the entire world. Your mind is the one place you can truly be yourself. Where you know you are safe from threats and lies. To invite another in so willing requires one to be rather bold."

Edwin though laughed at that. "You think your mind if a safe place? Heh. People lie to themselves all the time. Tell themselves that the bad things that happen to them aren't their fault, that the world is out to get them, that they were the innocent parties. And the reverse is true too... the mind can take an innocent comment that someone made, that they never gave another thought to, and twist it into a dagger that pierces your soul over and over again. It came make the tiniest event into a burr that refuses to leave, choosing to just keep scratching at your mind." He brought his hand up to Shadi's forehead and flicked it several times. "Skritch, skritch, skritch. And that should prove that the mind isn't a safe place either. How many people have decided they'd rather not live a day more because their brain wouldn't stop whispering every negative, horrible thing it could." He shook his head. "You have no idea how the mind works if you think it is a safe place. My Citadel? It's just as much to protect myself from internal threats as it is to protect me from external ones."

"I suppose so, but I did not know you felt as such."

"And you still felt it was perfectly fine to enter my mind without permission." He held up a hand, face screwed up in disgust. "And don't you dare tell me it was 'for the greater good'. I hate it when Dumbledore says it and I'll hate you if you say it. There is no greater good, only your good. And for how you feel things should play out you decided that invading my mind was perfectly fine." Edwin sneered. "The Millennium Items. This world would have been a far better place if they'd never been forged."

"Some of the items are tainted by darkness, I agree," Shadi stated, remaining calm in the face of Edwin's scorn. "The Eye, the Rod, and the Ring were all touched by darkness during the dark god Zorc's first attempt to take over our world and as such it takes a strong will to resist the urge to use them for wicked deeds. But three of the items remain pure: the Millennium Necklace and these." He held up the Key and the Scales. "Just like these. And only one of the items, the Millennium Puzzle, could fall to either side. The light... or the dark. Depending on the soul of the one who holds it."

Edwin though wasn't convinced. "The Millennium Items are all foul and should have been destroyed ages ago."

"And why do you say that?"

"Did you already forget that I'm from another world? I know how the Items were forged, Shadi." He leaned in and snarled, "The Thief Bakura had every right to hate the Pharaoh."

"You see him as in the right?"

"I didn't say that. I said he had every right to be angry. There is a difference. In life you get used to people doing the right thing for the wrong reasons... and the wrong thing for the right reasons. What the Nameless Pharaoh's father did, along with the rest of his advisers? He is forever damned."

Shadi remained impassive. He couldn't show emotion, let Edwin know what he thought about that. Not just because of his duty... but because death had shown him that sometimes emotions blinded people to the truth. "There is a saying... the sins of the father. You don't believe that the faults of one should pass onto another, do you?"

"No, of course not. But this is different, Shadi. The Millennium Items? The Power they hold? It is too much for any man."

"Then you wouldn't desire one yourself?"

"Fudge no," Edwin snapped. "I have another saying: I would wish to use its power for good. But through me..." he shook his head. "No. I don't trust myself with that kind of power."

"Perhaps," Shadi said, reaching out and rubbing his thumb along the key Edwin wore around his neck. "And perhaps such fear makes you the perfect bearer."

And then, before the American could respond, Shadi slipped out of the world of the living, returning to the shadows and the realm where ghost walked free.

~MC~MC~MC~

One minute I was pretty sure Shadi was coming on to me, the way he was leaning in close, the next he was gone. Which was an utter relief because the spooky bastard gave me the creeps. Yes, there was nothing about him that let me know he was dead but that didn't mean my mind wasn't filling in the blanks. 'Like I told him,' I thought as I grabbed the key to my duel box so I could tuck it back under my shirt, 'the mind is a dangerous-'

I froze as I realized that the key was far heavier than it should have been.

Slowly, like I was moving through quicksand, I pulled that cord that ran around my neck off and opened my hand, staring down at what I held. What had once been silver and small was now much larger and pure gold. And buzzing with power.

'Fuck,' I thought to myself as I stared at the Millennium Key. 'Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!' I clenched by jaw, nearly screaming out the curse word before remembering that the damn censors wouldn't let me. That didn't mean my utter rage wasn't real. "You gosh darn ectoplasmic bassplayer!" I snarled as I stared at the Key. "I said I didn't want it! Does the word 'No' not exist in your vocabulary?"

I hear the ocean waves lapping against the pier and I spun around ready to toss the Key away only to pause. The Spirit of the Ring ('I need to give him a nickname...') had managed to return the ring back to himself despite Tristan hurling it into the forest below Pegasus' castle. And despite what everyone might have thought I didn't believe that the Spirit was in the Ring when that happened and willed himself back.

'No... he was in Bakura, just like the Pharaoh is in Yugi's head. He just called the Ring back to him.' I looked down at the Key and turned, tossing it into the grass that stood just where the pier began, before thrusting out my hand. "Alright, is this a Thor situation or-"

Rather than flying to my hand the Key blinked out of existence just as I felt a weight settle around my neck. I looked down and nodded as I saw the damn thing was hanging off me once more.

"So not quite Thor," I grumped as I pulled the stupid thing off once more and stared at it. "And that means I'm most likely stuck with you, as I have a feeling you will keep popping up." I rubbed my head in frustration. "Perfect, just perfect." I looked down at the key and scowled. "I can't even lock you away!"

It was a minor relief that the Key didn't begin speaking to me. I think I would have really begun freaking out if I'd discovered that I was not just stuck in Yu-Gi-Oh! but a bad fanfic where the main character magically got their own Yami. Of course that made me wonder if me popping into this world meant I was technically the Yami to this Edwin Chaos, I just had him locked up somewhere and wasn't letting him out.

"Okay, don't think about that," I muttered to myself as I began to walk away from the pier. Shadi had been longer in my mind than I'd thought and I could see that the sun was beginning to set. Which meant that Yugi and Seto should have been finishing their duel at that moment and Tea was getting ready to challenge Mai to try and earn Yugi back the Star Chips he needed to get into the castle. "If I time this right I should be able to arrive at the castle a touch too late to get into the Finals but early enough that Pegasus lets me stick around. And considering he'll want to know what happened to Mokuba I can hopefully battleship long enough that he doesn't turn his Eye on me." I looked down at the Key after saying that, brow furrowing. "Though... can this thing protect me?"

I knew that the Millennium Key allowed Shadi to enter Yugi's mind but there had to be more to it than that. The Millennium Rod alone could control someone and turn them into a puppet, allow the wielder to telepathically talk to others, knock people out, look at memories, and I was pretty sure Marik had at minimum been able to Force Push people about. The Millennium Items were powerful dark relics... the Key had to have more powers than just letting me see into people's minds. At minimum it had to be able to shoot off ancient Egyptian laser beams.

"Okay, think this through," I muttered to myself. "The items are related to the soul and the mind. Eye, Key, and Rod are the mind. Ring and Scales are the soul. Puzzle probably counts as Soul too. The Necklace is… okay, its just psychic bull. So at minimum it must have mind powers. But what?" I began to finger the Key, a touch worried that I was accepting that I was its new Bearer so quickly, when a new thought occurred to me. Like many of my best ideas it came from a chain of thoughts, one link connecting with another until I reached an entirely different point than where I had begun. In this case I had been thinking about how the Key was supposed to be one of the Pure Items, untouched by Darkness and thus not corrupted. And that got me thinking about other ways to group the Items. Those then the ones that were sacred objects… and ones those shapes and those powers were connected. The Eye granted you sight. The Scales would weigh the soul. "So… what about you?" I said quietly, holding up the Key. "What if your powers are literal? To lock and unlock? Master of doors?" It gave me some ideas that had definite potential but nothing I could test at the moment

Except…

"Hmm," I murmured, pulling out my phone but not clicking it on. Instead I held the key to it, lightly pressing the screen and turning it… and then there was a flash of light and the screen popped on.

"Okay, that was-"

The Legend of Zelda 'You found an item' theme played… all around me.

"Did… did I just jailbreak my phone to turn on the anime's soundtrack?" I looked around and then muttered, "Walking music."

The theme to The Andy Griffin Show began to play as soon as I began moving.

"Okay, so I did. Lock and unlock things, huh?" Like pocketed my phone and looked at the key again, a new thought entering my brain. "Oh, this is going to end badly," I muttered to myself nervously as I lifted up the key and pressed it to my own forehead. Just as it began to touch my skin I felt something… nudge… my brain. The oddest feeling in the world. And then, sucking in a tension-filled breath, I envisioned a heavy door that would protect my mind from any other invasions, like from Pegasus or Marik… and turned the key.

Something clicked in my brain.

"Fudge me," I whispered to myself as I removed the key and let it hang around my neck once more. Somehow I just knew that I'd 'locked' my brain, so that Pegasus and Marik and anyone else wouldn't be able to look inside. All they'd see was that heavy door.

I grinned.

"Yeah… think I'll keep you," I muttered to myself before continuing my trek to Pegasus' Castle. "Though it would be nice if you weren't so-" I felt a slight tingle and looked down the see the Key sink into my clothing and chest, just like Bakura had done with his ring, "-obvious. Huh. That… is a neat trick." And helpful as I had a bad feeling that if I began advertising I had an Item all I'd get from Yugi and his friends would be scorn and accusations that I was some evil monster. No… the Key was going to remain a secret, especially until I learned all its powers. Because if it could do one of the things I was pretty sure was in its wheelhouse then things were going to get VERY interesting for me.

Though I also made a note to myself to be VERY careful playing around with the item made from blood magic. Last thing I needed was to end up bald in a loin cloth whispering riddles in the dark.

I arrived as the castle steps just as the edge of the sun dipped below the horizon, turning the night sky into a purplish blue with only a tint of orange on the end of the world. And yet there was still one of Pegasus' servants waiting at castle's gate, staring impassionately as I made my way up to him with my suitcase.

'Wonder if they have cameras to see someone approaching or if he's like those guys that twirl the signs outside the Cash for Gold places?' I looked down at myself and realized I must have created quite a conflicting sight: a guy in a hoodie and blue jeans walking up to a castle. Of course Yugi and his friends were in school uniforms… but this was Japan so that was rather normal. I held up my wrist as I approached and politely said, "My name is Edwin Chaos. This dueling glove and these 10 star ships show I've earned the right to enter the castle."

The servant merely nodded. "Congratulation, Duelist. I will take you now to meet with Mister Pegasus in the main arena." 

"Thank you," I said politely. "Am I okay to take my suitcase with me?"

"I will have one of the maids take it to your room."

I nodded and handed my suitcase off; there wasn't anything there I was worried about losing if Pegasus decided to have his servants dig through my stuff.

Pegasus' castle was rather nice, all things considered. I knew that down below it was like a standard castle, with stone walls and dripping ceilings and suits of armor and such, but in this main area, which I assumed was his public living area, it was more like Downton Abbey. Hardwood floors with some areas featuring low ply carpet, portraits on the wall from different artists, the occasional table with a vase or some other knickknack on it… all rather lovely and homey. I could see why Pegasus liked living there and despite the fact that I knew, thanks to Early Series Weirdness, Pegasus had mystical rituals down in the basement it was a rather pleasant place to spend a few days.

I just really, really hoped I got to stay on the top part and not visit Mokuba's cell.

'Though if I do… I have an idea on how I'll get out,' I thought, trying hard not to pat where the Millennium Key had sunk into my chest. 'The Mind's The Limit,' I repeated to myself several times, hearing Mr. Nobody echoing the words along with me. Outloud a I said, "Can I ask your name? Or would that be impolite?"

"It's is Frum, sir," the servant stated. "Why would it be impolite?"

"Some rich people want their servants to be nameless background figures, never interacting with anyone unless it is to quietly pour or serve."

"Mr. Pegasus isn't like that," Frum stated. "He expects us to do our jobs but he welcomes questions and conversation… so long as done in the proper way."

"Yeah, I can believe that. Good." I folded one arm behind my back, something a lot of people made fun of but it was just damn comfortable to not be swinging my arms about like crazy. "So Frum, did I miss anything interesting while coming up here?"

"No sir," the servant said.

"Really?" I teased. "No big battles on the battlements… which I guess might have been the first time that's happened in centuries here, assuming this castle is as old as it looks? No rivals confronting each other and last minute entries?"

Tello stayed silent.

"Okay, leaving Pegasus to break the bad news to me," I said even as I wondered if I'd messed things up and Yugi and Seto hadn't had their duel. It was entirely possible that Seto had already had his soul sucked away and placed in the card. If so it would mean I'd have to figure out how to hint to Yugi about the Toon cards so that he was prepared for them. The other option was that Seto and Yugi hadn't dueled at all… Seto could have gotten the final Star Chips he needed from someone else and was already dueling Pegasus when Yugi and his friends arrived. The only issue there would be that the Pharaoh might be more aggressive in the duel against Mai… that could screw things up if Yugi went into his funk later than in canon. I'd have to see about talking to him and getting him to work out his problems if that was the case.

Or it was entirely possible that it had all happened and Frum was just being a dick.

Pausing at a door Frum motioned for me to enter and I took a breath, ready for anything. Pegasus to be dueling Kaiba. Yugi having gotten there first and ending the entire tournament right there. Bandit Keith having read the rule book this time and actually having his rematch with Pegasus (that would really mess things up but would also be hilarious to watch).

But I didn't expect was trumpet fanfare.

I jumped a bit and looked around wildly only to find that there was no one else in the room save for Pegasus, who was clapping with a smile on his face as the music blared around me. He was exactly as he always appeared in the anime, kind and warm but with that dark sinister edge threatening to burst out at any moment. It was like entering the lair of some charming scorpion and knowing that at any moment he might stop offering cookies and milk and get on with jabbing at me with his tail. And to make matters worse he'd obviously sent everyone to dinner… I wondered if Yugi and his friends even knew I was here. Probably not. The urge to grab the Millennium Key and flee filled me and I was cursing my curiosity because in this case not only did it kill the cat but it was going to kill me-

"Welcome, Edwin Chaos!" Pegasus said as the music finally lowered in volume enough for me to actually hear him without him needing to shout. He could project his voice and as someone who had performed on stage I knew what that sounded like vs. yelling and could tell that Pegasus was the kind of person who would consider even projecting to be a bit too loud and boisterous for his tastes. "You know, of the many different outcomes I considered for the preliminary rounds of Duelist Kingdom I never expected this. There were so many that caught my eye… Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, Mai Valentine-" he said that one with a more cutting smirk and I forced myself not to twitch at that, "-and of course our mutual friend Yugi Moto. But you? Your uncle was merely to report on this tournament, have a few matches, then join me here. But I find I much prefer this outcome."

"Thanks?" I finally said.

Pegasus chuckled and thrust his arms out wide. "So allow me to congratulate you, Edwin Chaos… on being the first person to reach the Finals of Duelist Kingdom and earn the automatic prizes of 3 Million Dollars and the opportunity to face me in a duel!"

"…oh motherfudger."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: And this chapter. Oh boy am I sure this will be controversial that I gave Edwin the Millennium Key. However, there are several reasons for me doing that, first and foremost to examine what would ACTUALLY happen if someone got a mystical artifact that was created with blood sacrifices. Furthermore, the interest in what happens when someone who wants nothing to do with such things is forced to claim it… and how that can affect them, and the item, for good and for bad. Finally it eliminated the danger of Pegasus learning Edwin wasn't of this world… that means that now only four people know the truth about Edwin: Mokuba (who is too young to truly grasp how important it is), Edwin himself, Shadi (dead), and our final player, Selene the Greek Titan Goddess of the Moon.

And yup, we finally learn who Selene is. The Greeks and the Egyptians are two of the most well known mythos in the Western world and I enjoyed very much bringing in a Greek influence to this story of pyramids and pharaohs. I'm also actually surprised no one picked up that the goddess was Selene. The recurring Moon motif, for one. But the bigger thing is the history of Endymion, Edwin's ace card. Endymion was either a shepard or a prince… but in all tales he is the mortal lover of Selene, who cast him to forever sleep so she admit admire his beauty. In the card game Reflection of Endymion is the goddess Selene in disguise and Selene also has a Link Card connected to Endymion.

There is MUCH more to Selene's story as well as Edwin's, so this is far from the end of it. But it does shed more light on just how Edwin ended up in this world and the benefit… and dangers… of having Selene declare him her consort and chosen one.

The Tomb Keeper lore was just really fun to write, as those that have read my other stories know that's the kind of stuff I love to dig into. Also taking the odd pieces of lore, that don't really have a place or were just a passing thing that was ignored after they were done, and building on it.

Edwin's mindscape is based on the library from my old high school, the rec center from my old college, the library that is near my apartment, and a few other buildings I've been in with multiple levels.

And finally… yup! Edwin screwed up! Miscounted the days! We'll see more next chapter but Duelist Kingdom lasted longer than he thought and as such he's now a day early… and in a whole load of shit.


	13. The Christmas Filler Arc Special Part 1

My eyes slowly opened and a squinted at my desk clock, looking at the time. 7 am. I'd gone to bed around midnight so I knew I should get another hour of sleep. Ensure that I was completely well rested before I began dealing with Pegasus, the tournament, and all the madness that would come. As I thought about that though I began to think about all I could do with an extra hour in the morning. Think out what lies I would tell to cover my ass, work on my deck, sit on the toilet browsing Anime twitter (it was like regular Twitter except, oddly enough, far less Korean pop hashtags). The moment I thought about all of that I knew it was a completely lost cause to try and go back to sleep; I had just convinced myself to get up.

"Goody," I muttered to myself as I got up and stretched, grabbing my glasses before moving to my closet to-

Wait.

My closet.

Not the closet in Pegasus' castle ('Easy gay joke, we're walking, we're walking'). As in the closet that was in my room in my uncle's building.

Now utterly confused I looked around, wondering if the entire world had glitched and I was having to replay everything. Had me making it to the castle first caused things to become screwed up and now reality was trying to reset? Was it like a video game where you hopped up the mountain and fell into an area you shouldn't? Had I messed things up being first?

'Well, more than it was just by me being FIRST to the damn castle?!' I thought. But before I could truly begin to worry I looked over and saw my deck sitting on my desk, Endymion right on top. "Huh," I muttered before realizing there was a really good test to see if I had somehow tumbled into the past. Holding my hands near my chest, much as I remembered Bakura doing, I focused on a growing bloom of energy that swelled before forming into the Millennium Key. "Theory confirmed," I said, returning the key back to… wherever the hell it disappeared to… and moved to the mirror only to blink when I saw that I'd finally gotten back my circle beard. "Hello old friend," I said, rubbing my chin as I moved towards the window, throwing open the drapes. "So what the hell is going-"

I stopped talking. My eyes went wide as I stared out the window. Domino laid spread out before me, just like it had been the first day I found myself in awakening in the anime, ripping from the real world and placed into the land of Ancient Egypt Laser Beams, Teens Saving The World In Leather, and Zero Child Safety Laws. The buildings, the billboards, the signs and shops were all there. None of them had been replaced. I hadn't ended up in Neo Domino or some alternate dimension where Domino was in Ancient Egypt or anything like that.

No, what had my attention was all the ADDITIONS.

Snow falling down, big happy flakes that managed to somehow land only in the most decorative of spots. On top of awnings and gathered up around the sidewalks but not actually ON the sidewalks so that the tiny people far below me that were striding upon them didn't get a speck on their shoes. The billboards no longer merely advertised new shops but instead showcases images of candy canes and gingerbread men surrounding bold proclamations for sales and limited time events. And on everything were strings of glittering lights that even in the lightening morning sky still seemed to bathe the world in good cheer.

I backed away before hurrying to my desk and grabbing my phone, checking the date.

December 18th.

A week before Christmas.

"I'm in a Christmas Episode," I murmured to myself. "A Filler Arc, most likely not canon, easily skippable because it has no real affect on the story Christmas Episode."

I closed my eyes, took a breath…

…and let out a whoop of joy!

I knew that it would have been more trendy or cool to be aloof about the entire thing. Or even bitter and annoyed. Complain about the holiday and snark about it. Mock the traditions and the silliness and how people ruined the entire thing. Admittedly several years ago I had done exactly that. Written fanfics mocking Christmas. Scoffing about people making it so commercial. Getting into the spirit only at the very end, practically only days from it happening.

I also knew that it would be far more dramatic and entertaining if I started out as a Scrooge only for Yugi and his friends to teach me the true meaning of the holiday. With me making some grand discovery that changed everything and left me an altered man.

The only problem was that I had already seen my little Christmas pendulum swing in the opposite direction and now I LOVED the holiday and wasn't about to pretend that I didn't feel giddy about it being that special time of year! 

Throwing on my bathrobe ('Huh, must of gotten a new one after PaniK burned my last one') and slippers I moved towards the door only to break down laughing as I saw an honest-to-goodness nightcap draped over my desk chair. "Why the hell not!" I exclaimed, pulling it on before I ran out the door and skidded into the kitchen where my uncle, finally out of his wheelchair, was eating breakfast. "You boy!" I declared, jabbing a finger at him. "What day is today?"

"Why its December 18th, Edwin," my Uncle Kipling said with a bemused smile. "You seem in a good mood."

"I'm as light as a feather!" I said with a spring in my step, moving to the kitchen and pouring myself a bowl of mini wheats. "What do we have planned for today, Uncle?"

"Well, I suppose now is as good of a time as any to inform you that I've decided to give you the next two weeks off." Uncle Kipling munched on a piece of toast before adding, with a chuckle, "Not that you actually need to work anymore, Rich Boy."

I shook my head at that, jabbing a finger at him. "You can never be too rich."

"Spoken like a very wise man. Still, I figured you'd want a few days to relax and unwind before Keith and Joshua arrive on the 22nd."

It took me a minute to remember just who Keith and Joshua were (as for a brief moment I thought he meant Bandit Keith) and when my mind caught up and told me that those were the names of my father and brother in this world my excitement for Christmas managed to do the impossible and increase by ten fold. Before I'd entered the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! I had talked to my father every day via Messenger and text and I'd gotten to see him roughly once a week, making the nearly 75 minute drive just to spend time with him and my brother. Being stuck in Japan, even with all the amazing things I was experiencing, had been a blow and I had been missing them fiercely. My uncle bringing them both for Christmas was the greatest gift.

And not just because of the candy canes and all that.

My birthday was Christmas. My father was born on Christmas Eve. We'd always celebrated together, even if it was just blowing out some candles on a small cake. Having him and my brother in Domino… it just made everything complete.

"Well then, I guess I need to get dressed and get going. Have a very busy week if I want to get the festivities taken care of before dad and K… Joshua show up."

My uncle raised an eyebrow at that, amused. "And what exactly do you have planned? Last I checked we didn't have anything planned."

"Oh, I've decided to throw a Christmas Party. Never done it before but I figure with this place and a bunch of cash in my pocket I can afford," I paused, amused by my unintended pun, "to do something special. I'm thinking of getting some of the best from Duelist Kingdom to come… actually be able to interact with everyone without there being a tournament with life and death stakes." And considering I had no idea HOW Duelist Kingdom had ended it wouldn't hurt to try and get some information, though I had a sneaking suspicion that thanks to the law of Filler Arcs nothing of importance would actually be revealed.

'Meh, still a chance to have fun!'

"I am thinking I throw it on the 20th, if that's okay with you? Give me a few days to throw things together, plus a day to recover before the family arrives."

"I suppose that would work. You think it's enough time for people to come?" my uncle asked.

I shrugged. "Most of them either live in Domino or are insanely rich and can afford to quickly fly in, so I'm not too concerned. If you have anyone you think would be fun to invite, let me know… but keep in mind I will be inviting Yugi Moto and his friends so that means teenagers. So this isn't going to be a fancy cocktail party."

"So in other words we should be glad I own several floors in this building so there are no neighbors to piss off."

"Pretty much, yean," I said with a smirk, hunkering down to finish my breakfast, already making mental plans of where I needed to go.

~MC~MC~MC~

Mai Valentine was the very definition of worldly'. She had decided well before her teenage years that she didn't want to live and die in the same backwater town as so many others in her family had done. It was safe to do that… to grow up, graduate high school, marry one's high school sweetheart and then settle down and have some kids and get them to do the same thing. In that little town everyone had known her and was willing to protect her and fight for her… so long as she followed the rules and regulations they had set up to determine what it meant to be a good woman.

But Mai had never wanted that. Not in the slightest. She wanted to travel and visit places she'd only seen on TV and in books. That's why she'd run away from her aunt and uncle's house with her life savings stuck in her boot and her head full of dreams. She had to alter herself many times in order to fit in but she'd always had. Hell, 'Mai Valentine' was merely the latest in a long string of pseudonyms. Chastity Goode had been her moniker when she'd traveled with that church group because they were offering free rides to Washington DC. Allison Sharp had been the alias she used while acting as a dealer on a casino boat, tossing out cards to all the big wigs and fancy types as they moved up and down the Mississippi. Mai Valentine was merely the latest, and frankly longest, of her false names but it was the one that was shaping up to be the name she stuck with. After all she was earning fame and fortune with it… no need to pretend to be someone else when Mai Valentine was opening doors thanks to her dueling skills!

Yes, Mai had traveled the world, seeing the best Europe, North America, and Asia could offer. And in her years of travel she had spent plenty of Christmases in strange and exotic spots, as well as ones that would fit a Lifetime movie. From surfing in Australia to sitting in a ski lodge in the Alps she had spent the holiday in all sorts of ways.

But she had to admit that Domino certainly had a… magical feeling about it that no where else could compete with. There wasn't one single thing it did better than any other city… in fact in many ways it wasn't in the Top Ten for any one single thing. New York during Christmas was a buffet of every delight one could want. The beauty of Paris in December was a true treat. If one wanted to get lost and forget about the holiday Shanghai was the place to be. If one craved a more quiet Christmas there were plenty of places in Ireland that did the trick. Yet Domino seemed to take each little piece and blend them together in a way that no other city could compete with, melting them all together until they hardened into the perfect Christmas candy that was Domino City a week before the 25th.

As she walked down the street, sipping her peppermint coffee from a festive red and green cup, she looked about the sidewalks and marveled at it all. No one would claim her to be an optimist, though she thought at the very least she was getting better at being able to see the good in humanity and the world thanks to Duelist Kingdom and the people she'd met there. Mai knew that she tended to look at things and instantly want to dismiss them or mock them. But she couldn't bring herself to mock Domino during Christmas time. Everyone was just so happy. And polite. Not in a sugary sweet, going to give one diabetes sort of way… no, it was an infectious joy that made her smile and put a bit more spring in her step.

'And why shouldn't I be happy?' she thought to herself as she did a little spin to avoid a child that had rushed out of a store. The little boy though, to her surprise, instantly apologized and bowed to her and she waved it off, unable to find it in herself to be annoyed. 'I set my own hours, do what I love, have plenty of money in my pocket…' She'd just gotten back from a tournament in Poland where she'd come in first and claimed the entire purse; it wasn't millions and millions of dollars but it did set her up well for at least a year if she wanted to do nothing more than just sit around and relax. 'There is only one thing that would make this perfect-'

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out, stopping by a store selling purses and carry alls. Seeing who was calling she felt herself begin to beam and quickly answered. "Well, hello Edwin!"

"Hey Mai," Edwin said, is tone full of warmth and bubbly joy. It seemed she wasn't the only one getting into the Christmas spirit as Edwin sounded as if he'd been struck with a sock full of the holiday delight. "Weird question but you wouldn't happen to be in Domino, would you?"

"In fact I am," Mai said. "I was going to send you an e-mail and let you know. I got back in two days ago and I've been setting up a lease on a place for at least the next few months. No real good tournaments during January, you know?"

"No I didn't but good to know," Edwin said. "And hey, I wanted to see if you wanted to come to the Christmas party I'm throwing on the 20th. Assuming you have nothing planned."

"I don't and I'd love to. Formal cocktail or t-shirts and beer?"

"I don't drink so not the latter and seeing as I'm inviting Yugi and his friends…"

"The former is out too," Mai said with a snort, imaging Joey trying and failing to eat a meal in a civilized way. "So something in-between?"

"That's what I am thinking," Edwin stated. "I'm thinking starting it between 4 and 5, have people arrive and be able to nibble on stuff and mingle. Do an actual dinner at 6… I'm arranging that right now, actually. Good food… nothing too fancy or bland. No pizza and no cherry-filled chicken." She could practically see him making a grossed-out face as he said the words; she didn't blame him. She'd been forced to have cherry-stuffed chicken before and it was a sin against poultry. "After that more desserts while opening presents and then for those that want to stick around watch some Christmas movies. Some of the guests will probably leave before that… I'm invited Mako and Rex-"

"Rex?" Mai said with grunt of disgust.

"Be nice," Edwin chided. "He seems like a good guy, just… intense. I'm hoping if I get him around some other people that aren't like Weevil he'll mellow out."

"I suppose anything is possible," Mai said though she had her doubts. "Who else are you inviting?"

"Well Pegasus already RSVPed-"

Mai nearly dropped her coffee. "You… you invited Maxamillion Pegasus!? And he ACCEPTED?!"

"Oh yeah!" Edwin said with a laugh. "He said he's really looking forward to it. He's the one that suggested we watch movies after dinner… he's bringing his copy of Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf, and Santa Claus is Comin' To Town." There was some sounds in the background. "One sec… yeah, gift wrap those ones… not that one. I want to do that myself." More noise. "Sorry about that Mai. Anyway, before the movie I figure we'll open presents. People don't have to bring anything but I'll be giving out gifts to everyone so that way everyone walks away with a present."

Mai smiled at that. She could imagine how excited Edwin must be getting at picking out gifts for people; for a man that seemed to live on the cheap he did enjoy giving to his friends. "Well, I'll have to decide now what else to get you… I already got you a gift but I think you'll need another one for putting this all together." She paused. "Where are you at, right now?"

"Uh… 5th and… Westbrook?" He was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, 5th and Westbrook. I'm grabbing Tristan and Yugi's gifts right now."

"You want some help?" Mai asked.

"With their gifts? Nah." Before she could get disappointed he added, "But I could use your help getting everything I'll need for the party. I want to have a bit of hand-made feel to stuff… not hire a crew but do it myself as much as I can."

Mai perked up at that. "Then I'll be more than glad to help. Where do you want to meet?"

"You know where Glenn Street is?"

"Of course. That's the fashion district."

"Let's meet there and the corner of 4th street. I want to grab some clothing. Now that I think about it you should probably help me with Tea and Serenity… wouldn't hurt to have a woman's touch with their gifts."

Mai couldn't help but tease him. "Edwin… are you seriously inviting me to go clothing shopping with you?"

"I am," he responded. "But I should warn you… before we begin I insist we get the proper attire."

"Oh Edwin..." she purred, "that won't be a problem at all!"

~MC~MC~MC~

Yugi looked at his friends, his lips turned down into a scowling frown as he considered just what he was seeing. He pressed a hand to his cheek, then slowly slid it up to his forehead before finally just flopping it down to his side.

He was standing on the sidewalk, wearing a puffy blue winter coat, classic fuzzy mittens that every kid had owned at some point on his hands. People occasionally paused to glance at towards him (though it wasn't him that was drawing their attention) but they quickly hurried on when they decided that whatever was going on they wanted no part of it. Honestly Yugi was wishing he could do the same thing.

"Alright," he finally said, "what exactly happened?"

"…it's all Tristan's fault!" Tea exclaimed, jabbing her finger at her friend.

"Hey!" Tristan exclaimed, throwing his arms out wide. "How is this my fault?!"

"You are the one that dared him to do it!"

"And you're the one that egged him on by saying that Joey, and I quote, "doesn't need to prove a thing, we all know how tough he is"!"

"I was trying to get him to not do it!"

"It's JOEY! Of course he was going to take that as a challenge to his masculinity!"

Tea opened her mouth only to find no words coming out. "That… is sadly a fair point."

Bakura just shrugged. "I showed up a few minutes before you did, Yugi."

"Naaa! Naamaa Na!" Joey exclaimed. It was hard to tell just what he was trying to communicate to them, what with his tongue currently stuck to a frigid lamp pole. He tried to pull himself free only for his tongue to stretch and force him to snap his head back towards the pole, striking it with a metallic CLANG!. "Na maa Nuu!"

"He wants a good stew?" Tristan said.

"His hair should be blue?"

"I believe he said, "Come on Yug"," the Pharaoh said helpfully, appearing in his ghostly form beside Yugi. "You know, it is rather impressive that a bit of cold and salvia could trap him like that. Never seen anything like it. Though I doubt Egypt had any temperatures that ever got this cold."

"Uh huh," Yugi said with a dry sigh, taking a cup of steaming water from Bakura and reaching up to slowly pour it on Joey's tongue. It took a few moments but finally his friend was able to pull free, rubbing his cheeks for some odd reason that Yugi didn't understand. "Seriously, one of you HAS to be the responsible one when I'm not here!"

"Hey!" Tea complained. "I'm normally the voice of reason." 

"Which makes it even worse that you couldn't stop this!" Tristan stated proudly. "Proving that it was all your fault to begin with."

"GAAAA!" Tea screamed, leaping at Tristan only for Bakura to pull her away.

"Mah. Mah mah mah." Joey stuck his tongue out a bit, flicking his lips against it. "Ga, that was wild," he finally said. "I mean I'd heard that metal could freeze things quickly but I didn't expect my tongue to get stuck that fast! Wow!"

"Well now you know," Yugi stated.

"Yeah, and it only cost you your dignity," Bakura said helpfully.

"Exactly. All and-HEY! Wait a minute!" He wheeled on Bakura, who blushed and waved his hands about as he weakly smiled. "What is that supposed ta mean?!"

"Well, a lot of people did see you Joey," Tea pointed out.

"Not 'a lot of people'," he retorted.

"Dude, it's already trending," Tristan said, having pulled out his phone and pulled up Youtube. "There is even a remix!" He played it, the tinny sounds over the phone's speakers clearly having Joey's cries and grunts play along with Gwen Stefani's 'Holla Back Girl'.

"Why those dirty rotten-hey, I sound pretty good." He bobbed his head to the music. "Think they got me singing to any other music?"

"Music is my thing Joey, remember?" Edwin said, walking up to the teens.

"Edwin!" Tea exclaimed, hurrying over and giving the clearly surprised man a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"Good to see you too," Edwin said with a slight cringe and Yugi forced himself to smile; he had a feeling Edwin wasn't one that liked to be touched, especially if it were a surprise Tea hug.

"Hmmm," the Pharaoh muttered to himself.

"Be nice," Yugi chided him; the Spirit of the Puzzle and the 'Lord of Chaos' as the media had dubbed Edwin after Duelist Kingdom still had issues between the two of them when it came to trust. "Hey Edwin, how is it going?"

"Good good," Edwin said with a slight shrug. "Doing some Christmas shopping."

"That why you're in that getup?" Tristan asked, giving Edwin a once over as Tea let him go. Edwin was wearing his standard blue jeans and hiking boots but he had on a soft and supple brown winter jacket, thick yet also fuzzy black gloves, and a black hood could be seen poking out of from under the coat. But it was his other choice in apparel that was getting the gang's attention: a matching scarf and cap, red and green with cheery gingerbread men on them stubbed with flickering little Christmas lights.

"Heh, I thought maybe ya lost a bet or something," Joey teased only for his mind to catch up with his mouth. Yugi, for his part, winced; while Edwin had never brought it up no one had forgotten what had happened that night during Duelist Kingdom when Joey had insulted the memory of Edwin's mother. Since then Joey always did his best to watch what he said around the man. "Eesh, me and my big mouth. I'm sorry man-"

"No worries," Edwin said with a grin. "It's supposed to be tacky! That's the point!"

"It is?" Tea asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Of course! Fun of the season!"

Bakura nodded at that. "I think I understand. People take things that are seen as embarrassing when it comes to the holiday and decide to embrace them for that exact reason: they are embarrassing or 'uncool' and that is what makes them so fun."

"And give two points to the Brit! I tried to explain that to Mai but she doesn't get it."

"Mai?" Yugi asked only to finally notice Mai trying to hide behind another decorated lamp pole. Of course thanks to her… er… curves… it was rather impossible for her to hide. "Oh, hey Mai! What are you doing over there?"

"Contemplating how I am going to kill Edwin!" Mai called out.

"Get in line, sweetheart, get in line!" Edwin called out. "Plenty of people who want to kill me already. Now come on out!"

"No!" Mai whined.

"Come on, what's the big deal?"

"Joey will laugh at me," Mai said petulantly.

"I'm sure he won't," Yugi said with a smile. "None of us will."

The Pharaoh though shook his head. "It isn't right to lie, Yugi."

"I'm not lying," Yugi told the Spirit.

"Mai is clearly distressed and will only be more distressed when Joey mocks her. Though I don't know why he will I can only assume, based on how Joey is, that he will-"

"YO YUGI!" Edwin shouted. Yugi jumped in shock and Edwin let out a sigh of relief. "Geez, don't scare me like that. You began talking to thin air and then went silent for like a minute. I thought you had a friggin' stroke!"

Yugi blushed as he remembered no one could see the Pharaoh. "Uh… heheh, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, Edwin," Tristan stated. "Yugi is just talking to his imaginary boyfriend."

"Yeah, I am-wait, no I'm not!" Yugi placed his hands on his hips and glared at Tristan. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"See Mai?" Tea said. "Every one of us is embarrassing. So you're in good company!"

"…fine!" Mai complained, leaving her poor hiding spot. Yugi looked her over… nice shoes, trendy pants, a sporty winter jacket over a tight turtleneck that flattered all her curves, a goofy white hat shaped like a snowman with ear flaps, earrings, a-

Yugi stopped and went back to the silly hat Mai was wearing.

"Snik."

Yugi slowly turned to see that it was BAKURA who was trying to hold back his laughter.

"What?" Joey asked the Brit. "What's so funny?"

"You," Bakura stammered out, "you don't… think that hat…"

"What about it?" Joey said, confused. "It looks great. Very festive." He turned to Mai and gave her a thumbs up. "I love it."

"…oh this is even worse!" Mai whined, tugging on the hat.

Edwin patted her on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel better I'm honestly shocked you were able to put that hat on… you know, with all the-" He gestured around his head with his hands, making a 'puffy' motion.

"Why are you wearing those hats, anyway?" Tristan asked.

"I'm shopping for my Christmas party… you guys got my invites, right?"

"We did!" Tea said, excited. "I'm waiting to respond once I hear back from my sister… do you mind if she is my Plus One?"

"Not at all," Edwin stated. "These are the required attire for our tasks today. So Mai and I are shopping for gifts and all that then we're going to grab lunch, head back to my place and make Christmas cookies, and then watch the greatest Christmas movie ever."

"Die Hard?" Tristan asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Edwin said with a double thumbs up.

"Hold on!" Joey said, pushing his way up to Edwin and jabbing a finger under his nose. "Are you telling me that in exchange for helping you shop for food and gifts I can get a free lunch, cookies, watch Die Hard, and wear a cool hat?"

"…I suppose I would be a jerk to be worth millions suddenly and not buy you lunch-"

"WE'RE IN!" Joey exclaimed, much to the amusement of his friends. "Come on guys, let's get our hats!"

"I saw one that looked like a Saint Bernard that you might like," Mai stated, her embarrassment over her own hat dying in the face of Joey getting so excited to get his own.

"That is just perfect!"

"That seems about right," Edwin muttered. He motioned for the gang to follow after Mai and Joey and soon everyone was off, though Yugi hung back a bit, glancing at the Spirit who floated next to him.

"Yugi, I'm not sure about this," the Pharaoh told him. "After all, Edwin-"

"Hey, so you wear whatever I wear, right?" Yugi asked with a sudden playful smile.

"Noooo…" the Spirit said in growing terror. "Yugi please."

"Hey Edwin!" Yugi called out, rushing to catch up.

"YUGI!" the Pharaoh cried out in a panic.

~MC~MC~MC~MC~

"You better watch out, you better not cry!" I sang, Tea holding onto my arm as the two of us practically skipped down the sidewalk.

"You better not pout!" Tea, who was wearing an elf cap with bells and fake ears, chimed in. "I'm telling you why!"

"SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN!" the entire gang, even Mai (who I had completely and utterly infected with the Christmas Spirit thanks to singing… and my stop at a jewelry store to grab some gifts before shooing her out to grab her own), belted out. People were staring at us but it wasn't with annoyance or disgust but rather bemused and pleased smiles to see a group of teens and young adults belting out carols in the middle of Domino's shopping district. We had a few bags with us but I'd arranged for one of my uncle's company cars to come and pick up most of our shopping (mine and the rest of the gang, as all of them had decided to take advantage of the trip to do some last minute shopping of their own) and take them back to my uncle's place so we could eat lunch without being overloaded with bags and packages.

"Man, this was a great idea, Ed!" Joey said, wearing a hat shaped like a Saint Bernard's head with a matching 'cask' hanging around his neck that had a can of pop poured into it. "We need to do this every year."

"If we're all in Domino we'll make it a tradition," I told Joey. After all, I had no idea how long I'd be in this world so it didn't hurt to plan ahead. "So I'm thinking pizza for lunch. Any complaints?"

"Normally I'd prefer something a bit more high end," Mai said before gesturing at their hats. "But considering what we are wearing I think pizza might be the best idea."

"I know a place where you can eat outside next to a fire that's in the center of the table," Bakura, who was wearing a santa hat… somehow… said.

"Alright, that sounds awesome. Lead the way."

But before we could get far a horn honked and a limo pulled up next to us.

"Friend of yours, Edwin?" Tristan teased as he adjusted his Christmas Tree hat.

"Just because I made several million dollars doesn't mean I know people who drive around in limos," I complained.

The window rolled down and, "Hey Edwin!" Mokuba declared with a grin, the puffy ball on the santa hat he was wearing bobbing about.

"Okay," I said, rubbing the back of my head, "I kinda walked into that one."

"Hi Mokuba!" Yugi said with a grin. He had chosen a pair of rather gaudy antlers on a headband (as even with the super stretchy material of the hats there was no way to get HIS hair under one) and kept glancing to his left occasionally and snickering. "What are you up to today?"

"I was dropping off the gifts that Kaibacorp donates to the local orphan each year." He stepped out of the limo and shifted a bit at that, clearly bashful. "Seto doesn't like doing it… not the giving gifts!" He rapidly waved his hands about wildly. "He insists we give more and more each year! Its just that going there brings back bad memories-"

"Say no more," I said quickly with a reassuring pat on his shoulder.

"Hey man, it's just great you did it," Tristan stated with a grin. "You wanna join us for lunch?"

"If that's okay with your driver," Tea added.

The chauffer though stepped out of the vehicle and merely nodded. "Mr. Chaos has been authorized to act as young Mr. Kaiba's guardian if his brother is not around and his actions do not go against the elder Mr. Kaiba's direction. As such there is no problem with him joining you for lunch."

I was a bit startled to hear that my arrangement with Seto continued even off of Duelist Kingdom but decided to roll with it. "We're also heading to my uncle's to watch movies and make cookies… you can roll by at 5 and pick him up, if that's okay."

"Yes sir," the chauffer said.

"Take the afternoon off, Alfred, I'll be fine!" Mokuba said with a grin. The driver actually smiled at that and soon we were off again, with Mokuba added to our group. Mai took the opportunity to take Tea's place in holding onto my arm as we walked and Mokuba was on my other side, away from the street and with Joey just behind him to make sure he didn't dart off or get yet again kidnapped. Tristan had taken the lead, as he was the only one who knew what pizzeria we were headed too.

"Seriously Mokuba, what you and Seto did for those kids was a great thing," I told him as we continued on. "You gave kids who aren't going to get presents this year a wonderful Christmas."

"Well, other than what Santa brings them," Mai stated.

I chuckled at that. "Yeah… 'Santa'." I winked at her.

But Mai merely screwed up her face in confusion. "Uh… yeah. Santa. He'll have them all covered."

"Right," I said again, now confused myself by how she was acting. It was going to tip Mokuba off that something was up.

"Man, I can't wait to see what Santa brings me this year!" Joey said, rubbing his hands together.

"Me too!" Tea said excitedly. "I asked for some new dancing shoes, a sweater… what about you Mai?"

"Clothing of course… can't beat elf-made clothing. A new phone, though if I don't get that I'll be fine."

"What about you, Edwin?" Yugi asked. "What did you ask Santa for?"

"Uh…" I said, looking at them all before patting Mokuba on the shoulder. "Hey, why don't you give Tristan your suggestion for toppings. Or even better ask him what he wants and begin jotting them down so we know what to order."

Mokuba nodded rapidly at that. "Will do!" He rushed off to chat with Tristan, allowing me to talk to the gang without little ears hearing.

"Okay, what is going on guys?"

"We were about to ask you the same thing," Bakura said. "You're acting weird."

"Because you guys are playing up Santa really hard. You're going to make Mokuba clue in on the truth."

"What truth, Ed?"

"Uh… Santa?"

Mai paused, causing me to jerk slightly. "Edwin… what do you think we're talking about?"

"The fact that Santa isn't real?"

The gang just stared at me.

And that's when I learned that in the Yu-Gi-Oh! world… Santa actually existed.

Two hours later I had completely and utterly moved on from that fact.

"So where do you send the letters?" I asked as I put a tray of cookies in the oven. Yugi, Tea, and Bakura were helping me decorate the cookies while Mai, Tristan, Joey, and Mokuba were in the living room, watching as Bruce Willis ran through the office space that was currently being renovated, panicking about the death of the CEO Hans had just killed. Thankfully my uncle's place had no walls separating the kitchen, dining room, and living room so we were all able to watch the movie. Mai was curled up in an arm chair while the guys were sharing the couch.

"To the North Pole," Yugi told me as he worked on spreading some frosting on a cookie shaped like a snowman.

"I mean what's the address."

"The North Pole," Yugi said again.

"Right, but the address-"

"Edwin, love," Mai said, turning to face me, "it's just the North Pole. That's it."

"…seriously?"

"Of course!" Joey exclaimed. "Not like anyone else lives up there." He paused, pursing his lips together. "Well, except for Mrs. Claus and the elves but… there aren't any other houses, you know?"

"What about the Santas you see at the malls and ringing bells on street corners? Are those Claus' army of minions? Soldiers of St. Nick?"

"Those are just guys in costumes, Edwin!" Mokuba said with a laugh, getting up so he might snaga cookie. "Everyone knows that."

"Everyone but Edwin," Tea pointed out with a small frown.

"How do you not know any of this?" Tristan asked.

"No Pharaoh, I don't think Edwin is so naughty that Santa skips his house," Yugi whispered a bit too loudly.

"HEY!" I snapped, Yugi blushing when he realized that I'd heard him. "I just had a… sheltered… upbringing."

"I've heard of people like that," Bakura stated as he added some green sprinkles to a Christmas Tree shaped cookie. "For whatever reason they don't celebrate Christmas."

"Yeah, they're called Jews," I muttered.

"Oh Edwin," Mai said, turning around to stare at me. "Is that why you are so excited? Is this your first Christmas away from extremists?"

"What? No! I just didn't realize that Santa was actually real!"

"He's the reason for the season though, Ed!" Joey called out.

I nearly bit my tongue to keep myself from going on a rant about Baby Jesus. There was no way 4kids would let me talk about THAT! Instead I snapped off, "No Joey, he isn't. The reason for the season is love, togetherness, family. It is about there being one day where we suppress our own dark desires and try and be decent and kind and loving. Santa is in no way, shape, or form, the soul reason for the holiday!"

The others grew quiet at that, leaving me to silently decorate the cookies.

~MC~MC~MC~

On top of the world there existed a large white and red striped pole with a golden ball on top. Looking like the candy canes that children and adults alike would happily suck on, this pole, the literal North Pole, marked the top of the world.

A mile and a half away from the pole, still visible to it but still far enough away to keep the sacred snowy lands around the pole safe and unspoiled, sat a massive workshop. It looked like something out of a picture book only swollen to massive size. A small medieval clobber's store only 10 stores tall and as large as a military base. It was festively decorated with garland and wreaths and both inside and out of the structure figures quickly hurried about their tasks. These included the beasts that called the workshop home, the crafters of all manner of items for the citizens of the world, and just general servants in charge of upkeeping the dwelling. Dressed in green and red outfits with long-tipped caps with bells, these pointy-eared figures, the long fabled Elven Race, went about their business all in the name of their master.

Their master… who currently stood on the highest balcony of the workshop, looking down upon his workers, at his eternal work. But this figure did not match the description of the 'jolly old elf' spoken of in stories and songs. While once, perhaps, he might looked like the jolly fat man, but over the last few months he had changed and all the elves had seen it. Taller, stronger. His beard a wild mess streaked with gold and black and hanging down near to his belt. His famous 'bowl of jelly' belly now a massive bath tub but there was nothing jiggly or wiggly about it for it was as firm as a battle ship. His thick arms, corded with muscle, tensed as he gripped the railing and narrowed his eyes. He was bare-chested, a pair of black pants clinging to his legs

"Santa?" one of the elves said softly, knocking on the door.

St. Nicholas quickly grabbed his red hat and tugged it on, hiding the circlet of gold that was currently on his brow just as the elf entered. **"Yes Wipple?"**

"Here are the reports we've gotten for the day." He held up a thick scroll.

"**Very good,"** Kris Kringle said, taking the report and glancing at it. His eyes skimmed past the naughty and the nice only to pause at one particular note, reading it far more slowly before rereading it again. **"Hmmm… so this 'Edwin Chaos' doesn't believe me real… and when presented with the truth claims that I am not the true patron and master of Christmas?"** He tugged on his beard. **"Ho. Ho. Ho."** Santa looked back out the window. **"Can a sleigh be prepared?"**

"Tomorrow one can but it will be a slower one, sir."

"**Very well. Make it so."** The man known as Papa Noel lifted his burning gaze towards the horizon. **"You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is Coming. To. Town."**


	14. The Christmas Filler Arc Special Part 2

Maximillion Pegasus couldn't help but smile as he knocked on the door to the high rise apartment. He had met many different people in his life who were brash and bold and daring but he'd never met one so courageous as to actually invite him to a holiday party. Not an office party or some formal dinner party; no, Pegasus always got invites for those and turned them down. Christmas was a delightful time and what made it more delightful was not doing things that would bore him to tears. He had no desire to swill champagne with businessmen who were obsessed with telling you about their new boat or eating dinner with some rich socialite that thought if she fluttered her eyelashes at him he would suddenly decide to forget about Cecelia and the vows he had made to her (he'd refused to say 'til death do us part' for he knew that even Death itself wouldn't be able to separate them).

But a small gathering of friends, including teenagers, to eat a home cooked meal, exchange gifts, and watch the Rankin Bass films? It just was so utterly daring that Pegasus couldn't help but be excited! It spoke of boldness and courage and he always so enjoyed rewarding those rare few that reached for the brass ring.

He had dressed in a new suit, this one far more red than his usual fare, with a green tie around his ruffled shirt. A metallic emerald bag was clutched in one hand and he had a bottle of sparkling grape juice tucked under the other.

Any concerns that he was overly festively dressed died when the door opened to reveal Edwin wearing a red Santa hat and black Christmas sweatshirt depicting a smiling dinosaur holding a present, the words 'Merry T-Rexmas' switched onto it.

"Pegasus!" Edwin greeted with a grin. "Please, come in." He took the grape juice from him and stepped aside. The apartment was rather cheerfully decorated, complete with lights strung up around the window frames, a few wreaths, the tables covered with cheery holiday table cloths, and of course a beautiful down-to-earth Christmas tree. A computer had been set up playing a digital Yule log scene and soft instrumental Christmas music was playing through the speakers. "Put the gifts down over there. You did label them, right?"

"I did," Pegasus said with a bemused smile. "It isn't my first time giving out presents."

"Right, sorry," Edwin said sheepishly. "Anyway, I personally got everyone gifts so no one will go without. If you want to do anything privately let me know… the bedrooms are available-"

"Actually I would like to talk with you privately, if I could?"

"Sure. Can you give me a moment? I just want to check on the turkey breast. Everything's all set I'm just trying to keep the food warm."

"Of course," Pegasus said, walking over to the tree and placing the presents down next to the rather large pile of mismatched gifts. He couldn't help but try and guess which set came from which person only to realize he didn't fully know who else was at the party. That caused him to stand up and begin looking around. It was a rather interesting group that Edwin had gathered… one could almost call it a Duelist Kingdom reunion save for the new faces. Joey Wheeler, wearing an actual dress shirt, was hovering around a girl with brown hair that Pegasus wagered was his sister, Serenity; she in turn looked utterly delighted to be there and as Edwin passed them he quietly asked her some question that made her blush and stammer a thank you. Yugi-Boy was chatting with Rex Raptor, who was trying to appear aloof and cool but would occasionally smile to reveal that was all an act. Tea was with an older woman who was either a sister or a cousin, while Tristan and Bakura were chatting quietly together, both of them wearing elf hats. Mai Valentine, wearing a lovely maroon dress, walked over to speak with Edwin, placing her hand on his arm and Pegasus once more wondered just what was going on there as he wasn't used to seeing the femme fatale being the one to chase the guy. Seto Kaiba, looking utterly awkward and annoyed, was wearing a suit while speaking with Renard Volpe who was sipping some egg nog; Mokuba was nearby talking to a young blonde girl who was holding a teddy bear and was wearing a pretty party dress, Kaiba constantly glancing at him. Solomon Moto was munching on some sugar cookies while talking to a rather dapper looking older man while Mako Tsunami came from another room and moved to the kitchen, shooing Edwin away.

A large gathering but yet also small. Perfectly balanced.

'How is it that a man known as 'Chaos' is so good at finding order?' he mused to himself as the party host returned.

"Sorry about that."

"Everything fine?"

"Oh, completely. I know TV and movies make cooking a turkey look hard but so long as you follow the instructions it is fine. Mako just wanted to cook up his catch and promised to watch the main dishes and ensure they stay warm and ready. Solomon brought fried chicken because the Japanese associate KFC with Christmas so there will be a wild array of choices." He motioned for Pegasus to follow him and they entered one of the guest rooms. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I brought gifts for everyone, though I do admit to cover for myself I am providing gift cards for some since I didn't know all who were coming. But it is a tradition in my family to present to the host a secondary gift, to thank them for the extra work they have done. This is done privately."

"Of course," Edwin said with a nod that was more of a bowing of his head.

Reaching into the pocket of his coat he pulled out a small wrapped package, done up in metallic blue paper. Pegasus handed the gift over to Edwin, perhaps even more excited than Edwin in the excahnge. He waited though till the younger man had unwrapped the gift and begun to thumb through the cards before explaining, enjoying the shock and surprise that showed up on Edwin's face. "I designed these to use a similar system as your current deck but in new and original ways. The monsters are based on the creatures of ancient myth merging with a jackal spirit. The blending of Egyptian myth, the original basis for Duel Monster, with other myths throughout the world just felt… right." Edwin stared at the cards in shock and awe. "This deck is the only one of its kind, Edwin. My gift to you." He smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"…Merry Christmas," Edwin said, voice husky with emotions.

Which made the gift all the more worth wild.

It was why he had begun to create Duel Monsters in the first place, before he'd even been to Egypt, when it had merely been a game half-forming in his head during his childhood and teenage years. To see the joy and awe when a duelist received a new card and instantly felt a connection. He'd done that for Edwin and it already made this the best Christmas he'd had in… a very long time.

"You know… normally I spend Christmas alone. I am often reminded of what I have lost this time of year, even with all the joy and cheer. But… I think, Eddy-Boy, that spending it with all of you, who know loss as well, is a proper way to honor her memory."

"Yeah," the younger man whispered.

"Edwin!" Rex Raptor called out. "Someone's at the door! Ya want us ta answer?"

"I won't have you be a rude host," Pegasus said and with a wave of his hand gestured for Edwin to hurry out, Pegasus following after him wondering what else he might encounter that would bring him joy this day.

He was thinking a cookie before dinner was a good start.

~MC~MC~MC~

I frowned as I made my way to the door, wondering who was left to show up. Pegasus had been the last person I'd invited and everyone I'd figured would end up being a Plus One was already mingling. 'Though I guess I could be surprised. I didn't even know Tea had a sister!' Slipping the new deck Pegasus had given me (and utterly thankful I'd decided to go all out on my presents for everyone so I didn't end up embarrassed later on; Pegasus was getting a collection of histories on the Golden Age of cartoons, from Warner Brothers and Disney) into my pocket I made my way to the door, spinning past Joey and Tristan who had, for some reason, begun to try and wrestle in the middle of the living room.

"Guys, if you break anything or ruin the party I will escort you out and it won't be through the door!" I adjusted my hat and opened the door, smiling at… a complete stranger. Not that I let them know that, as it would be utterly rude. "Hello there."

"**Greetings," **the tall and thick figure before me rumbled. He looked like Michael Myers from that horrible Rob Zombie movie if he managed to make it to his seventies and enjoyed eating sponge cake for every meal. Tall, powerfully built, but with a massive belly and a wild white beard threaded with black strands of hair. He had on a long red coat with a hood pulled up so that one could barely see his features in the shadows of the garment, the entire thing trimmed with long white fur. He hefted up a sack that was as large as a beanbag chair and plopped it down in front of me. **"I bring gifts."**

"…cool," I said finally, deciding not to question any of this because hey, who was I to judge if Tristan had a sumo wrestling uncle or whoever this guy was. "Set'em by the tree, we're about ready to have dinner then we'll pass things out."

"**I would prefer-"**

"Everyone take a seat!" Mako called out, presenting a large cooked sea bass. "Supper is ready!"

"Its been ready, Mako, we were waiting for your fish," Mai reminded him.

"And it will be well worth the wait!"

Everyone gathered around the table, taking their spots, which became rather interesting as I hadn't bothered on seating arrangements. That meant that there were a couple of empty chairs but otherwise people were going to be pressed together. Which might have been fine… had there not be several people who hated each other because of little things like kidnapping and bodily harm and intense seething dislike. I got to be at the head of the table, since I was the host, so my seat was secure, and Mai quickly took the spot on my right because I was still apparently dealing the inability to figure out if we were in a relationship or not; probably didn't help that we constantly gravitated towards each other. We hadn't talked about it as far as I could tell but the two of us had entered into a strange orbit.

'Of course with my dating record…'

Mokuba wanted to sit next to me but where he went naturally Seto would go, meaning he'd have to sit next to someone else AND across from someone. He didn't want to be anywhere near Pegasus, Solomon Moto didn't want to be near him, Joey and him would be a disaster, and Yugi needed to be kept away from him lest Seto challenge him to a duel. Finally Rebecca convinced Mokuba to sit at the end of the table, with Arthur acting as a buffer between Solomon and that side; Mako ended up sitting across from Seto which was probably the safest choice. Joey and Rex had to be kept separate and Mai still harbored a grudge against Joey so that put him in the middle of the table, Serentiy ending up across from Mai because Tristan had decided to already begin wooing her. Pegasus ended up sitting next to me with Tea and her sister next to him while the rest of the group filtered into the empty slots. The stranger sat at the other end of the table and stared me down the entire time as I brought the last of the food over.

"Alright, so if you want to say anything before the meal do it quietly to yourself. Everyone else be respectful so we can eat." I personally bowed my head and said a quick prayer before looked up and beginning to serve myself. Conversation began to flow as dishes were passed and glasses filled.

"Is this beef gravy?" Arthur asked me.

"It is. I prefer it over turkey. I had some bad experiences with the white stuff… high school-" I made a face, "and the time my grandmother tried to darken the gravy with coffee."

"Seriously?" Renard asked, utterly offended as all Europeans would be at a sin against cooking.

"Yeah, grandma was a good cook but could get… weird."

"You know," Pegasus said to Yuri as she snagged the pepper shaker, "Thomas Edison would always refuse to hire someone who salted their food before eating it, as he saw them as hasty."

"That's just an urban myth," Yuri said with a shrug.

Rex turned to Bakura. "So, you hear about the new fossils they discovered in Wyoming?"

"No. Herbivore or carnivore?"

"-visit mom this year," Serenity said with a grin to Solomon Moto. "This is the first Christmas in a long time Joey and I can spend time together."

"What do you think, Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"It's… good," he said, stabbing a piece of fish.

"Ha! Freshly caught!" Mako bragged.

"**Tell me, Edwin Chaos, when do we get to the presents?"** the stranger asked.

"After supper," I said, dabbing a roll in the beef gravy. "Up to everyone if they want to go around one at a time or if they just want to go wild ripping open gifts. The-" I caught myself before I said my real last name, "-Chaos family tradition was to go insane but that was crazy Coffee Gravy Grandma." I chuckled. "Material side it was 'Spend too much and drink'."

"**One at a time,"** the stranger rumbled. **"And I'd prefer it done sooner rather than later, so we might determine once and for all that I brought the best gifts for you all."**

"Uh… okay," I said, tilting my head in confusion. "We'll get to it-"

"**In fact why don't I give out the gifts now? Make everyone's day… save yours, Edwin Chaos. But I don't mind ruining your meal by embarrassing you."**

Mai set her fork down. "What is your problem?"

"I agree," Yuri said, eyes narrowed.

"And why are ya still wearin' your hood up like that?" Joey demanded, wagging a forkful of turkey at the stranger.

"**Do none of you recognize me at all? Have you been taken in by this charlatan so easily? He who claims to be my better?"**

"No," Seto said with a scoff. "You're just a nobody. One with poor fashion sense."

"And that is coming from Kaiba-Boy so you know that is a true insult," Pegasus quipped.

Yugi looked at the figure, brow furrowed. "Who are you, anyway?"

Tea began to look around and, seeing the confused looks everyone was giving, slowly pushed away from the table. "Who invited you here?"

"**Edwin himself,"** the stranger declared, causing me to shake my head.

"I most certainly did not!" I declared.

Yuri leapt to her feet, hand going to where her service weapon most likely always was on her belt… except now. "Who are you?"

The strange rose to his feet, towering over all of us, and slapped a hand against his mighty gut. **"I am the Gift Giver! The Sleigh Rider! The Roof Walker!"**

"The Mother of Dragons! The Breaker of Chains!" I declared with a roll of my eyes. "Get on with it, old man!"

The figure dropped his head, making his glower all the worse with his hood shadowing his face**. "I am Father Christmas himself… the one you insulted by declaring that I am not the true reason for the season!"**

I blinked at that. Then blinked again. Then stared at the others and shouted, "THIS IS SANTA CLAUS?!"

"Nah man," Joey said, breaking me out of my rage. "I don't know who this old fart is but he ain't Santa!"

"Not in the slightest," Solomon agreed.

"Just another blowhard," Rex chimed in.

"**I am so Santa Claus!"** the stranger said, yanking down his hood. **"Though,"** he admitted with a smirk, **"far more powerful that you may have ever imagined."**

I didn't stare at Santa's face. Nor his muscular build or insanely wild but oddly appropriate anime beard. No, it what rested on his forehead that had my full attention. A circlet of pure gold… with the Eye of Horus upon it.

"A… a Millennium Item!" Yugi gasped in shock. I glanced at him, seeing for a brief moment Yami Bakura take control of Bakura before shifting back to silently watching from the background and shadows.

"**The Millennium Crown!"** Ol' St. Nick declared.

"Okay, how the hell does that exist?!" I demanded… only to catch Shadi's ghost out of the corner of my eye. I turned to him but the damn spirit gave me a 'beats me' shrug, snagged a drumstick, and disappeared.

Santa continued on, posturing for all my guests. **"I discovered this artifact and it has awakened in me powers I never knew I had. Powers… and new focus. It has altered me… empowered me with the mighty of Yule… and the SHADOW REALM!"**

"Aw crap," I whispered. "We have Yami Santa on our hands!"

"**And I challenge you, Edwin Chaos, who doubts the might of Claus, to a duel to determine once and for all who is the true Master of Christmas!"** And then the fat bastard actually pulled out a deck!

Seto actually grinned at that. "This party is finally looking up." He walked over to where he'd left his briefcase by the door and opened it to reveal two Duel Discs. They weren't quite the ones from Duelist Kingdom, weren't the ones from Battle City, but an odd hybrid of the two. Still a circular shape but it could clearly unfold into a more flat plane-style device.

"Did… did you bring those with you?" Rebecca asked.

"I bring duel discs always with me. Everywhere."

"To much info, Kaiba," Tristan drolled.

"We simply can't do it in here!" Pegasus complained. "It is far too small!" 

"The roof!" Mai said.

"WOULD YOU STOP HELPING HIM!?" I screamed in frustration.

"Why? You get to duel Santa!" Joey declared. I looked around and saw everyone, even the non-duelists, were nodding their heads in agreement, clearly seeing this as the most sane and rational thing in the world.

I looked at Yami Santa and said, "Wait, you want to prove that you give better gifts than me… why challenge me to a duel? What do card games have to do with presents?"

"**I don't know!"** Yami Santa declared dramatically.

"…okay, fine," I muttered in defeat. "But I'm finishing supper first before it gets cold. It is very yummy and I want to eat it."

"**The Mighty Yami Santa… will allow this."** And with that Santa put his chair right and sat down, the rest of the group settling down as well. **"Someone pass the pickles, please." **Mako nodded and passed them over.

"How did you get this turkey to be so moist?" Yuri questioned.

"Crock pot," I stated.

"Ah."

~MC~MC~MC~

Seto hadn't wanted to come to Edwin's party.

Christmas was something he barely tolerated. Oh, he bought gifts for kids and made donations and handed out bonuses during that time of year. He wasn't like Scrooge, wanting everyone to be miserable. He understood that plenty of people loved the holiday. He just wasn't one of them. He preferred peace and quiet, using Christmas as a reason to not go out, not worry about meetings or deadlines, and just work on side projects without being bothered. The most he would do during Christmas was go to the tree with Mokuba and open up presents; while he didn't get joy out of it himself the delight on his little brother's face was enough for him. Seto's entire mission in life was to ensure that his brother got all the child-like happiness and delight he himself could never capture again.

That was why then, when Mokuba had returned home a few days ago talking about Edwin and his party Seto had sucked down his annoyance at having to deal with the silver-tongued devil and agreed to go to the party with Mokuba. Even if it meant having to hang around with Yugi and his dweeb friends.

It had least been as inoffensive as possible. Edwin had done it at his apartment rather than some grand ballroom and there were only a few people around. Mokuba had been delighted in seeing everyone and while he'd run off to say hello to the other guests (as if he hadn't just seen most of them a short time ago) Edwin had quietly taken Seto aside and told him that if he wanted to duck out during the movies he was free to use one of the spare bedrooms, passing him the wifi password. Seto had merely nodded, still debating if he could convince Mokuba to let him sneak away rather than watch the tooth-rottenly sweet holiday films. At least Edwin had given him the perfect option; he wasn't going to leave Mokuba alone with Pegasus even with Yugi, Edwin, and Mai around the keep the fop in line. The meal had been nice enough… nothing overly grand but also not carnival food like Wheeler would probably have served. Good on the palette without being wasteful.

He'd let Mokuba pick out the gifts they'd give out and didn't expect much coming his way but had been quietly pleased to see plenty of presents laid out for Mokuba. All for his little brother. That was what this was all about.

But then Santa Claus had actually shown up at Edwin's party and challenged the 'Guardian Devil' to a duel… AND they were going to field test Seto's latest Duel Disks?

'It's a Christmas Miracle,' Seto thought to himself, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking slightly as Edwin shuffled his deck while Kringle rolled his shoulders. 'Only thing better would be if I was getting to duel but I suppose getting to see Edwin get defeated by Santa Claus wouldn't be that bad of a present. And I can always step in and challenge him myself after Edwin loses… as a way to 'avenge' him.' He mentally chuckled; oh yes, that would be perfect.

"You can do it, Edwin!" Mokuba cheered. "Take out that fraud! No way is he the real Santa!"

Seto looked down at Mokuba, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. 'And if Edwin were to win… it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.'

"**Do you understand what is at stake here, Edwin Chaos?"**

"…no," the blond said with a shake of his head. "I am really confused how I went from throwing a party to fighting Father Christmas on top of a roof. I mean… yeah, roof and you kind of go together." Everyone looked around as suddenly 'Up On The Housetop' began to play from seemingly nowhere yet in crystal clear sound. "But no, I have no flippin' idea what's at stake here other than delaying the opening of presents."

"**What is at stake is the title you've tried to take from me. You believe that I am not the 'reason for the season'. Well… I will prove you wrong… and right here, right now, we will determine who is the King of Christmas!"**

"Whoah," Joey said. "That's… that's pretty big."

"Man, it totally is!" Tristan declared.

"…this is so blasphemous," Edwin said with a groan.

"Alright gentlemen," Pegasus said with a smile, stepping forward. "I will serve as judge of this match, to ensure you both play fairly. One on one with 2000 life points. Standard Duel Monster rules apply."

"So Duelist Kingdom rules?" Edwin asked.

"What other rules would there be?" Rex asked.

Edwin though merely drew his hand. "Alright, just checking. Let's do this Yami Santa."

"**Ho ho… oh… you have already lost, Edwin Chaos. For I have drawn the perfect card to destroy you and your deck! First I play the Savage Sentinel of Klaus in attack mode!"**

On the field… appeared… a penguin.

Just a penguin. (1700/1000)

"Okay," Edwin said blandly.

"**And I will also set this card and end my turn."**

"Gee, I wonder if that is a trap card that will doom me," Edwin said dryly. "Alright, I-"

"Reveal my trap!"

"Called it!" Edwin exclaimed.

"**The Naughty List of Klaus!"** Yami Santa declared, a sinister looking scroll appearing on the field. **"During each of your draw phases I can declare the name of one card you haven't yet played in this duel… and then you have to banish it from the game!"**

"Oh no!" Yugi said softly. "With that Santa can take out any card in Edwin's deck!"

"So long as he knows what cards Edwin is playing," Bakura pointed out.

"And this is Santa… of course he knows what cards Edwin plays!"

Yami Santa laughed. **"Indeed I do! While there is a cost of 1000 lifepoints during each of my draw phases, should I not have another Klaus Card on the field, it will matter little when I place your strongest monster on my list! And I do so now! I declared Endymion to be placed on the Naughty List!"**

"No!" Mokuba shouted in fear.

"Man, he's done for!" Joey exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Seto muttered to himself, seeing how Edwin wasn't reacting at all. In fact he hadn't moved an inch.

"**Well?"** Yami Santa stated. **"Remove Endymion… unless you wish to forfeit the game now."**

"I would," Edwin stated, "if Endymion was in my deck."

"What?!" Yugi and his twerp friends exclaimed.

"I'm not using my normal deck," Edwin said, off to the side. "I'm using the deck Pegasus gave me for Christmas. And it doesn't contain any of the monsters I used in Duelist Kingdom!"

"Yeah Edwin!" Mai cheered. "That's the way to get that fatty on the backfoot!"

Edwin grinned, glasses flashing as he held up a card. "Now… let me show you what this deck can do! I first play the… spell card-" The way he paused at that made Seto perk up and pay attention, "Mythical Beast Master Cerberus!" On the roof a larger version of the card, which featured a strange blue furred bestial mage, appeared before Edwin. "Now, by destroying this spell and sending it to the Extra Deck-"

"Wait, the Extra Deck?" Tea said, confused. "I thought spells and monsters went to the graveyard."

"Normally they do," Yugi said. "But I guess this spell card does something different."

"Thank you," Edwin said, annoyed. Seto couldn't blame him; he grew so tired of Yugi deciding to teach dueling lessons all the time ('I would be better suited teaching such a class! I could teach an entire school! Hmmm…'). "Now then, by destroying and sending this spell card to the Extra Deck I can add one Mythical Beast monster from my deck to my hand." He pulled out his deck and did just that. "And now I'll summon it. Come forth Mythical Beast Bashilisk!"

The monster was a strange yet fierce looking creature. It had a vaguely crocodile-like form and was wearing mage armor. But the most strange thing of all was that it had two heads merged into one. The lower part was a croc's head with a snake-like tongue but above this was a second head that seemed to resemble a jackal. (1800/500)

"Next I'll activate Terraforming to add one field spell to my hand!" Edwin declared. "And because I used a Spell Card Bashilisk gains a spellcounter!" One of the empty slots on the monster's armor filled with solid magic given form. "And I'll now activate The Citadel of Endymion!" The hologram projects blasted forth light and all around them the great city of Endymion appeared. The high towers, the institutes of magic, the magical wall that protected it from threats. Domino disappeared as the observers found themselves standing in the middle of the main street of the Citadel. "And of course that gives Bashalisk another spell counter! And I'm not done yet… just to make sure you don't put this on the Naughty List I play Spell Power Grasp, allowing me to add a Spell Counter to my Citadel! And because it is also a spell both the Citadel and Bashilisk gain an addition spell counter each! And I gain another Spell Power Grasp from my hand!" He smirked. "And before you think I'm done, Claus… I remove two spell counters from Bashilisk in order to return Master Cerberus to my hand!" The card that had been sent to the extra deck popped out of Edwin's Duel Disk and he added it to his other cards. "And now… Bashilisk… feeding time!"

The beast snarled and leapt onto Yami Santa's Sentinel (aka the Penguin) and tore it to bits, causing it to obviously, and mercifully, shatter. (Santa-1900)

"No way!" Joey exclaimed. "Did… did you guys see what Ed just did!"

"I know, man!" Tristan said, just as startled. "He took out Santa's monster in one turn and managed to maintain the number of cards in his hand!"

"It is a wonderful day in Domino when one can say a sentence like that," Renard japed.

Pegasus, drinking a glass of eggnog, merely smirked. "I must say I feel like a proud father, watching the Mythical Beasts I created work so well. And so quickly too."

"I end my turn," Edwin stated. "And with no Klaus card on the field… I think you're about to lose 1000 lifepoints."

But Santa merely chuckled. **"I think not, Edwin Chaos. You see, my Sentinel, if sent to the graveyard, can return to the field so long as there is a Klaus spell or trap on the field and I discard one card from my hand. And my Naughty List remains! So return my Sentienl, allowing my Naughty List to remain!"** He sent one card to his graveyard and the Penguin appeared once more.

"Cool," Edwin said with a smirk. "Name the card that goes on the list."

"Clever," Seto muttered to himself.

"Seto?"

"Edwin most likely only has a few cards from Duelist Kingdom in that new deck Pegasus gave him." He scowled slightly at the thought that the Silver Tongue-Devil had been given something no one had ever seen before by Pegasus. "That's why he went all out like he did that first turn… he just removed Citadel and Spell Power Grasp from being targets."

"OH! Because the Naughty List can only target cards Edwin HASN'T played yet."

"Exactly."

Santa glowered at Edwin. **"Monster Reborn."**

"Sorry," Edwin said with a shrug. "Not in this deck. Guess Monster Reborn eats Chinese food on Christmas."

Father Christmas merely scoffed. "**Then let us focus on another card… the one I just discarded. The Watchful Eye of Klaus would have, if activated on the field, would have allowed me to look at your hand. But when it is sent to the graveyard instead I can draw cards equal to the number of monsters on the field. You know how many that is?" **

"Yeah, I can count. So can everyone."

"It's two, Wheeler," Seto said with a smirk.

"I KNEW THAT YA BIG JERK!"

"**And now, since you have placed on the field your gaudy Citadel, I will activate my own field! Prepare… for a white Christmas: The Arctic Workshop of Klaus!"** The hologram projectors exploded with light and the Citadel, even as it gained another Spell Counter, found itself being pushed back so that on its border was now a great icy tundra with a massive workshop rising above the snow drifts. It was covered in lights and wreaths… but there was something dark about it, though Seto couldn't quite put his finger on it. Perhaps it was merely because it was far too perfect. Too made up and pleasant.

'Rather reminds me of Pegasus,' Seto thought. 'Behind that smile and kind words is a heart of ice.'

"**My Workshop grants me one of two effects: during your draw phase I can either restrict you from drawing any cards, other than the one you just drew, or I am allowed to draw cards equal to the ones you draw outside your draw phase. Naughty… or nice." **Santa smiled broadly. **"But let us be concerned with what happens now: my Workshop powers up my Klaus monsters by 400 attack points… more than enough to take out your monster! Now my Sentinel… deck his halls!"**

"…really?" Edwin asked in disgust even as his monster was destroyed. Santa merely smiled and set a card on the field. (Edwin-1700)

~MC~MC~MC~

Drawing a card I looked at my hand before glancing at Yami Santa. 'Time to force the issue with that Workshop,' I thought, holding up my Spell Power Grasp. "I activate this card… you know what it does." Two more Spell Counters appeared on the Citadel. "So… gift for you Santa or coal for me?"

"**Gift,"** Santa declared, drawing a card.

"Cool. Then I'll activate Master Cerberus again, adding yet another Spell Counter to my Citadel, allowing me to add to my hand, and then summon, the Mythical Beast Medusa!" The creature that appeared always did interest me, as it wasn't so much a snake like you'd expect but rather a jellyfish with jackal heads on its tentacles. Still, it could look like Weevil doing the can-can so long as it did the flippin' job. "I now use my Medusa's effect, removing two of the Spell Counters on my Citadel in order to reduce your Sentinel's attack by half! And that makes it weaker than my monster, so time to force your Penguin back to the graveyard! Medusa, Mythic Lashing!"

The jackal tendrils rushed out, grabbing onto the Sentinel and forcing it to remain still as the other ones struck it again and again until it finally shattered. (Santa- 1450).

"…**no,"** Yami Santa declared. **"The Sentinel has done well but… he will not be the one I turn to this night."**

"But that means the Naughty List is destroyed," Rex stated.

"It wasn't doing him any good," Mai said with a smirk. "Edwin has him already beat on that count."

I wasn't as confident as Mai was, though. This was flippin' Santa Claus… I had to be ready for friggin' anything.

"**But with the Naughty List gone I will now activate my downface card: Reveal the Nice List of Klaus!" **The trap flipped up, revealing a more cheerful version of the previous trap. **"This card allows me, once per turn, to declare one card from my deck and place it on the field, so long as I haven't played it yet. So I will special summon to the field in defense mode The Grand Sleigh of Klaus!"** There was a flash of light… and Santa's actual sleigh appeared. Just… Santa's sleigh. That was it. **"And now I will activate the card I just drew: Klaus Fusion!"** The spell card, depicting Santa and a snowman in place of the normal monsters on Polymerization, flashed**. "I can now fuse together my Sleigh and the Mighty Buck of Klaus to create the Reindeer Sleigh of Klaus!" **

On the filed the sleigh gained a reindeer to pull it.

"…so is that Dasher or Dancer?" Joey asked.

"It might be Prancre," Bakura stated.

"Or Vixen," Yugi's grandpa reasoned. "It could also be Comet."

"Or Cupid," Arthur Hawkins said.

"Donner?" Tea asked.

"**It's Blitzen,"** Yami Santa stated.

"AAAAAHHHH!" everyone declared in acceptance.

"And with 2800 attack points it is more than enough to destroy your Mythical Beast!" Yami Santa declared. "Now attack my Reindeer! Strike that beast down with your hooves!"

"I activate Medusa's special effect, which reduces your monster's attack by half!"

"**And I activate Workshop's effect to increase my monster's attack by 400!"** Claus countered, my monster shattering. **"And I also activate the special effect of my monster: when it destroys a monster all monsters of that name are destroyed in your deck!"** I hissed as the damn Duel Disc actually shocked me while ejecting out two copies of Medusa, which I placed in the graveyard slot. I also grumbled as my damn phone began to play "Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer" (Edwin-1300)

"Man, this is bad," Tea whispered. "I don't know how Edwin is going to get out of this!"

"The same way he always does?" Mokuba asked.

"I don't think 'Being a loudmouth' will work this time," Rex taunted.

"Thanks Rex, so glad I invited you!" I called out before letting out a sigh. "Sorry, that was mean. I'm actually super glad I did. Can't wait for you to see what I got you!"

"Can I get a hint?"

"Jurassic World."

"OOOOOOOOO!" Rex said in delight.

As I drew my next card Santa held out his hand. **"I activate the other effect of my Workshop, locking you down so you can't draw any more cards this turn!"**

"That's okay," I said with a smirk. "I don't need to with what I have planned. First I summon Mystical Beast Cerberus."

"Wait, didn't you use that as a spell card last turn?" Tristan asked as the two headed dog/jackal hybrid appeared.

"This is Master Cerberus in his lesser form, before he gained wisdom. Here he is more savage… and has his own special ability."

"Oh, this will be good!" Pegasus said with a grin.

"First I use Spell Power Grasp and target Cerberus! And like my Citadel he also gains a Spell Counter when a spell is used. Next I'll activate the spell card Mythical Bestiary, allowing me to send two cards from my deck to the graveyard in order to add two more spell counters to Cerberus! And since that ALSO was a Spell it naturally generates counters on the Citadel and on Cerberus. And now to pay that all off! You see, Cerberus can consume the Spell Counters, rendering them useless-" My beast did just that, making the Spell Counters crack and break as the energy poured into him, "-to increase his attack by 500 for each counter destroyed. And with 5 of them he rises to 3900!"

"HOLY MOLY!" Joey exclaimed as my Cerberus began to crackle and spark with magic. "That is one powerful beast!"

"Mythical Beast Cerberus! Spell Power Savagery!" Cerberus leapt at the reindeer and torn into it, shattering it into pieces. "Do you see what I see?" I sang. (Santa- 750)

"**I see someone who has counted the presents under the tree before Christmas morning, not realizing that they aren't all for him!" **Yami Santa declared. **"I activate the final ability of my Sleigh, which returns it to the field when its destroyed. Next I use The Nice List to add The Fierce Beast of Klaus to my hand and then use another Klaus Fusion to summon forth The Polar Sleigh of Klaus!"** The sleigh returned but this time rather than a reindeer it was one of those Narnia-looking polar bears pulling it. Golden armor, fierce features, that sort of thing. **"And with your Cerberus' attack depleted and my monster at 3500…"** I winced and shielded myself as Claus' monster destroyed my own**. "Luckily for you my monster reduces battle damage by half but it still drops you down to the final bits of lifepoints. Like the greedy child desperately digging through his empty stocking all you find is crumbs to tide you over! You are finished, Edwin Chaos!" **(Edwin-500)

But as I drew my next card I saw that Yami Santa was very much wrong. In fact if I was rather sure that I was going to win the duel and plant a boot right in Santa's chimney. As such I simply smirked and played Mystical Institution (causing Endymion's personal school to appear in the Citadel) and then set Mythical Beast Garuada, my eagle/jackal hybrid, on the field in defense mode.

"**So,"** Yami Santa stated, **"your Garuada's effect allows it to destroy a newly summoned monster. You hope to end the duel by using the Effect Damage rule, is that it? Hohoho! A clever trick, Edwin Chaos, but not clever enough! I will merely attack with my Polar Sleigh and removed that threat completely!" **

But I merely cocked my head to the side as the Sleigh and its Polar Bear destroyed my bird… and its remains flowed into the Institution. "Thanks for that," I stated. "I needed a Mythical Beast to fall to power up the Institution with Spell Counters… because now I can remove 2 spell counters from the Institution and four from my Citadel so I can activate the Institution's effect, bringing forth a Mythical Beast from my deck to my hand… since your Workshop's effect ONLY locks me out during MY turn!"

"Way to go, Edwin!" Yugi cheered. "That was some quick thinking!"

"And it's my turn!" I declared, holding up the card I had gained. "Behold the key to your end, St. Dick! Mythical Beast Jackal King!" I slammed the card onto a spell zone. "This adds a counter to the Citadel… and by destroying it and ending it to the Extra Deck I can summon a different Extra Deck monster to the field… my Mythical Beast MASTER CERBERUS!" There was a brilliant blast of white light… and then I blinked in surprise.

Cerberus looked… different.

He was blue. Had his armor. His staff.

But…

"I love-love-love you!" the tiny doll-like Cerberus declared.

"**What… what is that?"** Yami Santa said, startled.

"That is a Master Cerberus… but you can call him… Beebo, the God of War." I grinned, unable to get upset with this turn of events. "Now then, Beebo!" The toy turned and looked at me. "I remove four spell counters from my Citadel in order to allow you to banish the polar sleigh, triggering its effect and bringing forth its weaker form in attack mode. In turn you increase your own attack to 6300!"

"6300! With just one monster?!" Seto declared in shock.

"Monster? No Seto… this is a god!"

"God Card," Pegasus murmured, rubbing his chin.

"Beebo! Cuddle."

Beebo giggled and ran over to the sleigh. "BEEBO!"

There was an explosion of fluffy blue smoke… and Yami Santa cried out as he was struck by the blast, causing the Millennium Crown to fly off his head. And because I was not only in an anime but a FILLER ARC… the damn thing, despite being made of gold, floated away like a majestic butterfly upon the winds.

The moment it did so Santa changed, grasping his chest like he was Sanford telling Elizabeth he was comin'. He lost a few inches in height, his beard became curly and the black and gold strands disappeared from it, his weight decreased to a mere 'portly', and generally he looked like a stereotypical Santa Claus. Which he was. Because Santa was real.

'Dear lord I'm never going to get used to this world,' I thought to myself as I deactivated my Duel Disc.

"Ho… hohoho!" Santa said, not quite jolly but rather confused. He ran his hand along the top of his head, stopping where the Millennium Crown had been. "Oh! I… I can think clearly… for the first time in months." He looked around and smiled weakly at all of us. "And I have the sudden feeling… that I have caused much pain and suffering."

"If by that you mean you annoyed me by ruining my party then yes-OW!" I glared at Tea, rubbing where she'd elbowed me in the ribs. "What was that-"

"Stop being mean to Santa!" Tea declared. "He couldn't help himself."

"And? OW!" I clutched my side. "Woman!"

"Now now… Edwin is right to be frustrated," Santa stated gently. "I did cause much harm to his party. And for that I am sorry. I hope you can forgive me."

"I suppose if I don't Tea will just keep hurting me…" Tea nodded at that. "Then all is forgiven."

"Wait," Joey said, "does this make Edwin the King of Christmas?"

Santa chuckled at that. "No no, Joseph, not at all! Because Edwin was right. Christmas is not Santa… it is not the presents. It is not one merely single thing. It is many things, coming together to bring joy and happiness to all, and in turn inspire them to bring joy and happiness to those they care about. When you think of it that way… we are all the Kings of Christmas."

"Awwww," everyone but me said (because I wasn't scripted to do so).

"Hey St. Nick," Rex declared, "ya wanna stay for the rest of the party?"

"Why not? I did bring gifts!"

Pegasus clapped his hands. "Wonderful! And after we watch the movies you can tell us how factual they are!"

"Well, Mrs. Claus is always telling me I need to put on a few more pounds!" Santa wiggled his belly at that.

"Okay, fine," I said with a relieved huff. "We can get things back on track."

"Damn straight," Yuri stated." 

"Right, now then-wait." I suddenly looked up. "You just swore." My eyes lit up as I realized what had happened: because this was a filler arc 4Kids had never dubbed it! I could swear in this! "Oh yes! Oh f-"

~MC~MC~MC~

On top of the world there existed a large white and red striped pole with a golden ball on top. Looking like the candy canes that children and adults alike would happily suck on, this pole, the literal North Pole, marked the top of the world.

A mile away from this pole, the Millennium Crown, that dark and wicked relic, flew upon the breeze before falling at top of a pile of Christmas snow. It lay there, forgot, the darkness within brooding upon its defeat… and the man that had ruined its chance to claim the power of Christmas.

The snow shifted.

A body began to form under the crown.

And from an icy mouth made of snow… two words tumbled out, a guttural, bestial sound.

"**Happy…. Birth….day…"**

_**To Be Continued Next Year in 'The Chaos Effect Christmas Filler Arc Special-Frosty Strikes Back'**_


End file.
